7 days agoUpdating a previous report, Boston Red Sox third baseman
Rafael Devers (knee) left Tuesday's game against the visiting Cleveland Guardians with left-knee discomfort. Devers went 1-for-2 with two RBI and two walks before being replaced at the hot corner in the eighth inning by
Bobby Dalbec. The 27-year-old missed several games last weekend due to a shoulder injury but returned to action on Monday before an injury scare when he collided with outfielder
Tyler O'Neill (head), who was forced to leave the game. For now, fantasy managers should consider Devers as day-to-day while checking back on Wednesday to see if he's back in the starting lineup. The Red Sox can ill-afford another injury to their infield after losing shortstop
Trevor Story (shoulder) already for the season. In addition to Dalbec,
Pablo Reyes could play some third base if Devers is forced to miss additional time.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MassLive.com - Christopher Smith
7 days agoKansas City Royals starting pitcher
Michael Wacha allowed 10 hits and gave up five runs while taking a loss in last Friday's 6-1 defeat to the New York Mets, but he finds himself in prime position to bounce back in Wednesday's start on the road in one part of a doubleheader against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. Although Wacha holds a mediocre 4.00 ERA (2.75 FIP) through 18 innings (three starts) to begin his Royals debut season, his 1.05 WHIP is a cause for optimism. Since 2023, the 32-year-old journeyman right-hander is 2-0 with 14 scoreless frames and 15 strikeouts over two appearances against the White Sox. Additionally, the current Chicago roster is hitting a career .141 across 72 plate appearances versus Wacha. With the ChiSox sitting dead last in baseball with 34 runs scored, treat Wacha as a confident fantasy option on Wednesday's full slate.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoHouston Astros starting pitcher
Luis Garcia (elbow) threw a bullpen session at Minute Maid Park ahead of Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Continuing to recuperate from Tommy John surgery, Garcia started tossing bullpens earlier in April and is slowly progressing toward eventually heading to a minor-league rehab assignment. The expectation is that he will be able to rejoin Houston's injury-ravaged rotation at some point during the middle of the season. Before his 2023 season came to a close, the 27-year-old right-hander posted a respectable 4.00 ERA (3.63 FIP), 1.29 WHIP, and 31:10 K:BB over 27 innings (six starts). The Astros called up
Forrest Whitley on Tuesday for pitching help, but it wouldn't be surprising to see swingman
Brandon Bielak be asked to eat some innings at some point.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Brian McTaggart - Astros.com
7 days agoBoston Red Sox third baseman
Rafael Devers was pulled during the eighth inning of Tuesday's game versus the visiting Cleveland Guardians, and
Bobby Dalbec replaced him defensively at third base. He went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI before exiting, and it's unclear at this time why Devers was removed from the contest. It's worth noting he dealt with soreness in his left shoulder that cost him four games last week, so it remains to be seen if he's dealing with some type of setback with the injury. The Red Sox should offer some clarity on the 27-year-old All-Star slugger's status shortly, and we'll provide that update when it becomes available. Devers is hitting just .205 with two home runs and five RBI over his first 44 at-bats of the season.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Christopher Smith
7 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Alex Cobb (hip, elbow), who was briefly shut down recently with a mild flexor strain in his right elbow, has been cleared to resume throwing and tossed a bullpen session in Arizona on Tuesday. Other than that hiccup, Cobb is progressing well and believes he's ahead of schedule in his rehab from offseason surgery on his left hip. The 36-year-old right-hander was an All-Star in 2023 for the first time in his career, and despite running into trouble with the long ball in the second half, he still managed to compile a solid 3.87 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 131:37 K:BB across 151 1/3 innings (28 starts). Cobb could re-enter San Fran's rotation at some time during May, and he's a decent stash in most fantasy leagues. With
Robbie Ray (elbow) also on the shelf,
Jordan Hicks and
Keaton Winn should continue to function as starters for the Giants for the time being.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoChicago Cubs infielder/outfielder
Patrick Wisdom (back) is continuing his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa and started Tuesday's game at right field for the first time this year. It's an interesting development for fantasy managers to keep an eye on, as Chicago's everyday right fielder,
Seiya Suzuki (oblique), is expected to miss several weeks. Wisdom is essentially fully recovered from a back strain, but
Michael Busch's recent power surge (five home runs in his last five games) is likely the reason why he hasn't been activated from the IL just yet. It looks like the Cubs could be grooming Wisdom for some action in right field, however, so his return appears imminent. The 32-year-old slugger is an all-or-nothing power hitter who smashed nine homers in his final 36 outings of the season in 2023, and he could be a decent source of pop if he lands a sizable role upon his reinstatement.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Iowa Cubs on X
7 days agoThe New York Mets announced that third baseman
Brett Baty (hamstring) left Tuesday's game versus the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates due to tightness in his left hamstring. He went 0-for-2 before veteran infielder
Joey Wendle replaced him at third base. It's a tough break for the 24-year-old former top prospect, who is batting a strong .305 (18-for-59) with one home run, nine RBI, and seven runs scored over 17 games this season. With very little infield depth in Queens, Wendle and
Zack Short would figure to form a platoon for at-bats at the hot corner if Baty needs to miss additional time following Tuesday's departure. Neither of the two have done enough this season to be worth speculative fantasy adds at the moment. Consider Baty day-to-day ahead of Wednesday's series finale against Pittsburgh.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo - MLB.com
7 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Robbie Ray (elbow) is scheduled to throw his next bullpen session in Arizona on Wednesday. Although the 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner is still expected to be out until the second half of the 2024 season, it feels like he has a chance to make his Giants debut earlier than that based on his current progress. Ray is pleased with where he's at in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he also tossed a bullpen on Friday. In his last full season during 2022 with the Seattle Mariners, the 32-year-old strikeout machine fanned 212 hitters while walking 62 over 189 innings and amassed a 3.71 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 32 starts. Fantasy managers off to a good start should start thinking about stashing Ray. With
Alex Cobb (hip) also sidelined until at least May,
Jordan Hicks and
Keaton Winn should keep operating as starters for the Giants in the meantime.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoBoston Red Sox starting pitcher
Garrett Whitlock (oblique) exited Tuesday's start versus the visiting Cleveland Guardians due to tightness in his left oblique. Whitlock threw 54 pitches, 36 for strikes, before left-hander
Joely Rodriguez relieved him, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk in four innings of work. Look for the Red Sox to provide another update on the 27-year-old right-hander's status either after Tuesday's game or sometime in the coming days. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Sunday on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it remains to be seen if his turn in the rotation needs to be skipped. Whitlock has been great as a starter for Boston this year, logging a superb 1.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 17 punchouts over 18 1/3 frames (four starts) to begin the 2024 season.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Ian Browne - MLB.com
7 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Seiya Suzuki (oblique), who went on the injured list on Monday with a right-oblique strain, will be sidelined "in the four-week range," but the Cubs will have a better timeline for his return once he's symptom-free, according to manager Craig Counsell. It means that the 29-year-old won't be ready to return when he's eligible to come off the 10-day IL, but fantasy managers should still keep him stashed in all leagues, especially after he started the year 18-for-59 (.305) with three home runs, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored. With Suzuki set to miss at least several weeks, outfield prospect
Alexander Canario, the club's No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is going to get his first extended look in the big leagues. He's starting in right field and hitting ninth on Tuesday against Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander
Tommy Henry.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Tribune - Meghan Montemurro
7 days agoDetroit Tigers right-handed pitching prospect
Sawyer Gipson-Long (forearm) is getting further evaluation for forearm tightness, which usually doesn't bode well. The 26-year-old is also battling a left-groin strain, so he's not going to return to minor-league action for a while. The Tigers' No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, left a rehab start with Single-A Lakeland when he experienced right-forearm tightness. Gipson-Long made four starts for the Tigers in his major-league debut in 2023 and impressed by going 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with eight walks and 26 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched. With Detroit having more rotation depth this year, there's no way they are going to rush Gipson-Long back to the big leagues if his forearm injury doesn't require surgery.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Cody Stavenhagen
7 days agoColorado Rockies left-hander
Kyle Freeland (shoulder) said he's fine on Tuesday after getting injured in Monday night's extra-inning loss while sliding into home plate as a pinch-runner late in the game. Freeland will throw like normal in between his starts and be good to go at some point this weekend for a matchup against the Seattle Mariners. The 30-year-old southpaw's injury was to his right, non-throwing shoulder, so it shouldn't affect his next start at all. Even though Seattle's offense hasn't looked good at all early this year, Freeland will still be a shaky streaming option in fantasy after posting a rough 13.21 ERA and 2.55 WHIP with eight walks and nine strikeouts in his first four starts. Freeland currently leads the league in hits allowed (32) and earned runs allowed (23).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Denver Gazette - Luke Zahlmann
7 days agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher
Gabriel Moreno (thumb) was scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs with a right-thumb contusion, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The skipper said that Moreno is day-to-day, so check back on Wednesday to see if he's back in the lineup. The injury occurred on the wild pitch that Moreno tried to block in the top of the ninth inning that ended up tying the game in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Cubbies. The 24-year-old Venezuelan backstop has gone 11-for-45 (.244) to start the year with no homers and six RBI for the Snakes.
Tucker Barnhart is catching left-hander
Tommy Henry on Tuesday and is hitting ninth against Cubs right-hander
Kyle Hendricks.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: PHNX Sports - Jesse Friedman
7 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect
Andy Pages is starting in center field and batting seventh in his major-league debut on Tuesday versus the visiting Washington Nationals and left-hander
Patrick Corbin. The Dodgers called Pages up from Triple-A Oklahoma City after finding out that
Jason Heyward is going to miss more time with his back injury. The 23-year-old Pages already had five home runs and a 1.146 OPS in 15 games for Triple-A before his call-up. Most of his playing time with the Dodgers in his first taste of the majors will likely come when the team is facing a left-handed pitcher and
James Outman retreats to the bench, which will limit his fantasy upside to deeper leagues as a short-term depth piece. The Cuban outfielder is mostly attractive in dynasty/keeper leagues for his plus power upside.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoThe Los Angeles Dodgers called up pitching prospect
Kyle Hurt from Triple-A Oklahoma for him to make the start against the visiting Washington Nationals on Tuesday in his big-league starting debut. Hurt, the club's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is stretched out to around 45 pitches. Expect left-hander
Ryan Yarbrough to follow Hurt in his MLB debut as the "bulk" reliever in LA's bullpen game on Tuesday. The 25-year-old right-hander has already thrown 4 2/3 relief innings in 2024 and has allowed two runs (one earned) while walking one and striking out six in 6 2/3 innings since making his MLB debut in 2023. Hurt is interesting in dynasty/keeper leagues, but fantasy managers in season-long leagues and in DFS should avoid him on Tuesday in his spot start. Hurt is likely to be sent right back to Triple-A after Tuesday's game or on Wednesday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
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