7 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks turned in another successful showing in Wednesday's 7-1 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts over six innings. Nationals first baseman Joey Gallo homered during the second inning, but Hicks got plenty of run support and gained his second win of the season. The hard-throwing 27-year-old right-hander's first stint as a starter with the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2022 was a totally failed endeavor, but he's transitioning to the role very smoothly to begin 2024. Hicks now owns a shiny 1.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 13 punchouts across 18 innings thus far, and he boasts more strikeout upside than he's shown to this point. It remains to be seen how his arm handles the workload over the course of a full season, but he's a must-roster fantasy player ahead of next Tuesday's start against the 1-11 Miami Marlins.Source: Yahoo Sports
7 days agoTampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks collected his second save of the year in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels, striking out three batters to preserve the victory. Fairbanks sat down the first two hitters he faced before the lineup turned over and Luis Rengifo singled to right center to get the tying run to the plate, but the hurler was able to punch out Mickey Moniak to end the game. The flame-throwing 30-year-old right-hander is off to shaky start despite converting his first two save opportunities of the 2024 season, carrying a troubling 11.25 ERA and 2.50 WHIP with eight K's over his first four innings of work. Although the Rays feature a deep bullpen with plenty of options based on matchups, Fairbanks' stuff is the best of the bunch and keeps him positioned as Tampa Bay's preferred ninth-inning man going forward.Source: Yahoo Sports
7 days agoKansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (back) returned to his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, going 2-for-4 with three RBI while playing seven innings in the field. After playing one rehab game at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and experiencing minor soreness, Massey felt good enough to play on Tuesday. Closing in on a return for KC, Massey likely still needs a few more rehab games before doing so. The 26-year-old lefty-hitting infielder has been on the injured list since Opening Day with lower back tightness, and the Royals hope it won't linger and Massey can return as their everyday second baseman after he slashed .229/.274/.381 with 15 home runs, 18 doubles, 55 RBI, and six stolen bases over 428 at-bats last season. Adam Frazier is filling in as the primary option at the keystone for now, but he's not doing enough to warrant consideration outside of the deepest fantasy leagues.Source: MLB.com
7 days agoChicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Patrick Wisdom (back) went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and three RBI as a designated hitter in his minor-league rehab game with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday. He's served as the DH twice after playing third base in his first rehab outing. Out of game action since March 13 due to a back strain, Wisdom has a chance to join the team at some point during Chicago's current road trip that extends until next Wednesday, per manager Craig Counsell. The 32-year-old all-or-nothing slugger went 6-for-16 with two homers and six RBI in spring training before going down, and he will serve as a power bat off the bench for the Cubs upon his return. Wisdom has blasted at least 23 homers in each of the past three seasons, but he's a career .214 hitter and would only have a path to everyday at-bats if Michael Busch were sent back to Triple-A.Source: MLB.com
7 days agoLos Angeles Angels relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (shoulder) is set to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday. Stephenson will then be re-evaluated after his scheduled appearance on Tuesday. Signed to a three-year, $33 million deal in January, Stephenson hit the injured list on March 28 due to right shoulder inflammation but continued his throwing progression with several bullpen sessions. Although he didn't appear during spring training, Stephenson should be available as a high-leverage arm out of Anaheim's bullpen in late April. The hard-throwing 31-year-old right-hander could eventually work his way into the ninth-inning mix as well, impressing with a 2.35 ERA (2.45 FIP), 0.67 WHIP, and 60:8 K:BB over 38 1/3 innings after joining the Tampa Bay Rays in June of 2023. With All-Star closer Carlos Estevez in a contract year, it wouldn't hurt fantasy managers to stash Stephenson where they can.Source: Rhett Bollinger - MLB.com
7 days agoSeattle Mariners relief pitcher Matt Brash (elbow) was able to throw a successful bullpen session on Wednesday, according to manager Scott Servais. The organization hasn't given a timetable for when Brash will get back on the mound. However, it sounds like Brash has been making solid progress. He still has more work to do, so he'll likely return at some point in May. His return should be a significant boost to the Seattle bullpen considering he was great for them last season.Source: Ryan Divish
7 days agoTexas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (oblique) was able to take batting practice and run the bases without any issues on Wednesday. The 28-year-old reportedly felt great after Wednesday's session. Despite that, the Rangers have not given a timetable for when Lowe will return to the field. It feels like Lowe is getting close to a minor league rehab assignment. The assumption is that Lowe will return at some point in May. Until then, Jared Walsh figures to see increased playing time at first base.Source: Kennedi Landry
7 days agoOakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker (abdomen) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers. This marks the second game in a row that Rooker has missed after exiting early during Sunday's game. It appears the organization believes this is a day-to-day issue. That being said, Rooker should avoid a trip to the injured list and return at some point this week. In the meantime, Abraham Toro will leadoff and serve as the designated hitter versus left-handed Cody Bradford on Wednesday.Source: MLB.com
7 days agoMinnesota Twins second baseman Edouard Julien put together a strong performance versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. Julien blasted a leadoff home run to kick off the bottom of the first inning. He later homered again in the fifth inning to give the Twins a 3-2 lead. The score would hold as Julien provided most of the offense in this victory. Outside of this performance Julian has struggled this season, so hopefully this game will help him get back on track.Source: MLB.com
7 days agoOakland Athletics first baseman Ryan Noda (hand) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers. The left-handed slugger was scratched ahead of Tuesday's game due to a hand issue. In his absence, J.D. Davis will cover first base and bat third versus left-hander Cody Bradford. Davis doesn't offer great fantasy value given the lack of talent around him.Source: MLB.com
7 days agoTexas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. The rookie outfielder has started in each of the team's first 11 games of the season. Langford is slashing .261/.314/.326 with six RBI through 51 plate appearances. Travis Jankowski will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth versus right-hander Ross Stripling on Wednesday.Source: MLB.com
7 days agoThe Cleveland Guardians acquired right-hander Wes Parsons from the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday in exchange for international bonus pool money ($250,000). In a corresponding move, the Guardians moved right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow) to the 60-day injured list. Parsons gets dealt after recently being designated for assignment by Toronto. The 31-year-old appeared twice out of Toronto's bullpen this year and gave up six earned runs on six hits (two home runs) while walking two and striking out two in five innings of work for a 10.80 ERA. Parsons will begin working at Triple-A Columbus for the Guardians and will provide them with relief depth on the farm. In his big-league career, he's posted a 7.40 ERA and 1.87 WHIP with 37 walks and 34 K's in 48 2/3 innings over four years.Source: GuardsInsider
7 days agoThe contest between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves on Wednesday has been postponed in Atlanta due to a forecast of inclement weather. The game will be made up on Sept. 26 at 7:20 pm ET, and Thursday's originally scheduled 12:20 pm ET game will be played as planned. It means that Wednesday's scheduled starters -- left-hander Jose Quintana for the Mets and right-hander Allan Winans for the Braves -- will presumably be pushed back to Thursday'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 Wednesday's slate of action.Source: MLB.com
7 days agoMilwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Robert Gasser (elbow), who has been sidelined with bone spurs in his left elbow, is scheduled to throw two innings in an extended spring training game this Saturday. The club's No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, will begin building back up and should eventually be sent to Triple-A Nashville. Gasser had a 3.09 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 115 strikeouts in his final 93 1/3 innings for Nashville in 2023 and should at least be a backend starter for the Brew Crew eventually at the major-league level, potentially later this season. He uses a fastball-sinker combination to set up his nasty slider, and he's been able to put up solid strikeout numbers in the minors thanks to his good control. Gasser has the stuff to warrant stashing in AL-only leagues for a potential big-league debut later in 2024.Source: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
7 days agoMilwaukee Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said that outfielder Garrett Mitchell (finger) is hoping to return around June 1. Mitchell suffered a fractured left index finger at the end of spring training and was originally given a four- to six-week timetable for a return back in late March. The former 20th overall pick in 2020 out of UCLA didn't get a chance to showcase his power/speed combination last year, as he ended up playing in just 19 games due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. There remains plenty of long-term upside with Mitchell, but injuries have gotten in the way so far, and it doesn't help that Milwaukee's outfield is stacked. The 25-year-old deserves to be stashed at least in deep-mixed leagues. Until he's able to return, Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins should benefit from playing time in the outfield next to Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio.Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Todd Rosiak