6 days agoHouston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu and outfielders Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers are all sitting out on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals in the series finale. Jon Singleton is at first base and batting sixth, Mauricio Dubon is in center field and batting ninth, and Yainer Diaz is serving as the designated hitter and hitting fifth in the order versus Royals right-hander Brady Singer. Just like last year, the 37-year-old Abreu has been ice-cold offensively in the early going for the 'Stros, going 3-for-37 (.081) with no home runs, one RBI and 13 strikeouts in his first 41 plate appearances. He could use a day off. If the veteran first baseman continues to struggle, Houston could give him more frequent days on the bench. None of Singleton, Dubon or Diaz have ever faced Singer in their careers.Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
6 days agoThe Oakland Athletics announced on Thursday that they placed outfielder Brent Rooker (abdominal) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 8) and selected infielder/outfielder Max Schuemann from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. The team also moved right-hander Luis Medina (knee) to the 60-day injured list. Rooker is dealing with a costochondral cartilage injury in his abdomen after leaving Sunday's game early. It's unclear if the 29-year-old will be ready to return to the A's when he's eligible. After his first All-Star selection in 2023, Rooker is off to a slow start this year with a .200 average (6-for-30), but he does have two homers and five RBI in eight games. Until Rooker is able to return, Tyler Nevin figures to benefit from more playing time in Oakland, either in the outfield or at first base.Source: Oakland A's
6 days agoThe matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds on Thursday has been postponed due to a forecast of inclement weather in Cincinnati. The game will be made up on Friday, August 30 as part of a double-header. It means that Thursday's scheduled starters -- right-handers Freddy Peralta for the Brewers and Nick Martinez for the Reds -- will likely be pushed back to Friday's contest. Fantasy baseball managers will obviously want to remove any of the players from these two teams that may have been in their lineups for Thursday's slate of action.Source: Lance McAlister - 700WLW
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks shortstop Blaze Alexander went 2-for-2 with his second home run of the season in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Rockies and also drew a walk. The 24-year-old has hit safely in four straight games now and is showing well at the plate in his debut, going 10-for-29 (.345) with two home runs, four RBI, five runs scored, one stolen base, and a 4:9 BB:K in 33 plate appearances. The youngster is filling in for injured Geraldo Perdomo, who is expected back in about a month, but Alexander provides a little more pop than Perdomo. If he continues to hit well it might be hard to get him out of the lineup when Perdomo returns, but he could potentially DH as well. Alexander is also eligible at second base in Yahoo leagues which gives managers additional flexibility.Source: ESPN
6 days agoMilwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich hit his fifth home run of the season on Wednesday in a 7-2 win over the Reds. Yelich got his first start at designated hitter this season in the game, and the home run was his only hit of the day, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Yelich is coming off probably his best statistical season since 2019, and looking to follow that up with another strong showing in 2024. His five home runs are one off of the league lead while hitting .316 with 11 RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases. Expect the former MVP and 2x All-Star to continue to produce across multiple categories and provide fantasy managers a safe floor throughout the season.Source: ESPN
6 days agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi pitched well on Wednesday but did not factor into the decision as the Jays were unable to provide run support in the 6-1 loss to the Mariners. Kikuchi allowed just one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out nine batters. The game would ultimately be decided in the tenth inning after the Mariners put up five runs in the top half of the frame. After allowing three earned runs in his first start of the season, the southpaw has given up just one earned run, seven hits, and has a 4:16 BB:K over his last two starts (11 1/3 IP). For the season the 32-year-old has a 2.30 ERA (2.83 FIP) and 1.28 WHIP. His next start lines up with the Yankees next Tuesday in Toronto.Source: ESPN
6 days agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert was excellent in his third start of the season on Wednesday, a 6-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. While he did not factor into the decision, the 26-year-old tossed six scoreless frames before allowing a soloread more...
6 days agoThe matchup between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers on Thursday has been postponed due to a forecast of inclement weather in Detroit. The game will be made up on Saturday, April 13 as part of a straight double-header, with Game 1 starting at 1:10 PM EST and Game 2 starting 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. It means that Thursday's scheduled starters -- right-hander Pablo Lopez for the Twins and left-hander Tarik Skubal for the Tigers -- will likely be pushed back to Friday's contest. Fantasy baseball managers will obviously want to remove any of the players from these two teams that may have been in their lineups for Thursday's slate of action.Source: Detroit Tigers
7 days agoMilwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta is settling in nicely to his new role as the team's ace ahead of Thursday's road start against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. After allowing 12 runs in 15 innings of spring training, Peralta has totaled a 3.09 ERA (2.80 FIP), 0.60 WHIP, and 15:2 K:BB over his first 11 2/3 innings of the regular season. In five appearances (24 2/3 IP) against the Reds since 2022, the 27-year-old All-Star right-hander is 3-0 with a sublime 1.46 ERA and 37:6 K:BB. Peralta has thrown 14 consecutive scoreless innings against Cincy during this stretch, and the current Reds roster is a collective 6-for-40 with just two extra-base hits against Peralta. He should be treated as one of the premier fantasy plays across all formats on Thursday's seven-game slate.Source: Baseball Savant
7 days agoMinnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez is off to a nice start this year, and he'll have a good chance to build on his early-season success during Thursday's start on the road against the division-rival Detroit Tigers. Lopez may have given up 11 runs in 14 innings during spring training, but he takes a strong 2.84 ERA (3.07 FIP), 0.86 WHIP, and 9:1 K:BB over 12 2/3 regular-season frames into Thursday's outing. Across 13 innings (two starts) against Detroit last season, the 28-year-old Venezuelan right-hander compiled a 2.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 18:1 K:BB. The current Tigers roster also combines for a career .199 xwOBA through 65 plate appearances versus Lopez, according to Statcast. Lopez is one of the top fantasy bets on Thursday's modest seven-game slate.Source: Baseball Savant
7 days agoTampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero belted his first home run of the season in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels, launching a leadoff blast to deep left center in the second inning. Caballero is on a heater to begin the 2024 season following a poor spring training, now hitting .351 (13-for-37) with an .889 OPS, three doubles, six RBI, and five stolen bases to go with the aforementioned round-tripper across 11 outings. With Brandon Lowe (oblique) hurting, Caballero will likely be needed for everyday at-bats in Tampa Bay's lineup for the time being. The 27-year-old speedy infielder's value to the Rays is more pronounced defensively, but his fantasy stock is certainly on the rise right now. Consider adding him in AL-only or deep mixed leagues for speed, but don't expect a consistent dose of power.Source: MLB.com
7 days agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford continued his unlikely emergence with another impressive start on Wednesday, hurling 6 2/3 strong innings and logging a win during the 6-2 victory over the visiting Oakland Athletics. Bradford ran into some trouble by giving up a run in the first inning, but he settled in to allow just three more hits and one walk from that point on. The 26-year-old soft-throwing southpaw has been a revelation for the defending-champion Rangers in the early goings, featuring a 1.40 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, and 17:2 K:BB covering 19 1/3 frames. With Jacob deGrom (elbow) and Max Scherzer (back) sidelined for the foreseeable future, Bradford should stick in Texas' rotation until the two aces are ready to return in 2024. Feel free to continue riding the hot hand with Bradford in fantasy, as his next start is set to come against an uninspiring Detroit Tigers offense on Monday.Source: ESPN
7 days agoBaltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday didn't make much noise during his MLB debut on Wednesday, going hitless in four at-bats in the 7-5 win over the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Holliday's highly-anticipated major-league debut didn't present the fireworks some may have been hoping for, but he manufactured his first big-league RBI on a groundout to score Colton Cowser in the sixth inning. Jordan Westburg ended up moving to third base to open up a spot at second base for Holliday, who should have a fairly sizable leash when it comes to maintaining playing time with Ramon Urias struggling to begin the season. Give baseball's No. 1 prospect some time to adjust to big-league pitching, as Holliday is not going to have the highest level of fantasy upside while hitting ninth in Baltimore's lineup. It's likely only a matter of time before he works his way up the batting order, though.Source: ESPN
7 days agoMiami Marlins third baseman Jake Burger kept his foot on the gas during Wednesday's 5-3 win over the New York Yankees, cranking his second home run of the young season. Burger took Yankees right-hander Marcus Stroman yard to deep center to bring home Luis Arraez and Nick Fortes for a three-run shot as part of a four-run Miami fourth inning. Although Burger didn't hit well during spring training, he's up to a productive .260/.291/.480 triple-slash line with three taters and an MLB-high 15 RBI over 50 at-bats to this point. The righty-hitting infielder faces two left-handers and an underperforming Atlanta Braves rotation during a three-game weekend set with the division rivals starting on Friday, but all three of Burger’s homers have come against right-handed pitching this season.Source: ESPN
7 days agoMiami Marlins starting pitcher Ryan Weathers quieted the New York Yankees in Wednesday's 5-3 victory, tossing five scoreless innings on three hits and three walks while fanning one hitter. Weathers was not particularly dominant in this one, but he got the job done by not allowing any of his baserunners to score. The 24-year-old left-hander has been a first-round bust to this point in his career but holds a sharp 2.57 ERA through 14 innings for the Fish to begin the season. His 1.50 WHIP is concerning, however, and his lack of strikeout stuff limits his overall fantasy appeal. Weathers gets a good matchup in his next scheduled start at home versus the San Francisco Giants next Tuesday, when he'll be worth streaming consideration.Source: ESPN