6 days agoBaltimore Orioles first baseman
Ryan Mountcastle will be on the bench on Friday night as the Orioles open a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Mountcastle has been in the lineup card every game so far and has posted an excellent .298/.364/.468 stat line with eight RBI and one round-tripper. This should be seen as a maintenance day, and as a result, Ryan O'Hearn will slot in at first base. O'Hearn does have a difficult matchup against
Freddy Peralta, but he could be a value in DFS as he is batting in the cleanup spot and should see plenty of RBI opportunities.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMinnesota Twins first baseman/outfielder
Alex Kirilloff will be on the bench in Friday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Kirilloff has yet to make a start against a southpaw, and tonight is no different, as the Twins face left-handed pitcher
Tarik Skubal. Kirilloff has had an excellent start to the season, currently batting to the tune of a .324/.385/.647 stat line. Instead,
Jose Miranda will be slotted in the designated hitter spot and will bat in the five-hole. Miranda might not be a popular play in DFS as he has a tall task against the hard-throwing lefty.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles catcher
Adley Rutschman will be getting the night off on Friday evening as the O's play host to the Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game set. The All-Star catcher is off to a strong start to the 2024 campaign as he has tallied 13 hits in 12 games and has an overall .271/.333/.313 stat line. Rutschman has yet to hit a home run this season, but that should change fairly quickly, as he launched 20 last season. Rutschman, who has batted in the two-hole all season, will cede that spot to
Colton Cowser this evening.
James McCann will serve as the backstop and will make his fifth start of the season in a difficult matchup against
Freddy Peralta.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoCincinnati Reds left-hander
Andrew Abbott will look to keep his production consistent on Friday when he takes on the Chicago White Sox on the road. The southpaw has been solid out of the gate, tossing 10 1/3 innings while surrendering four earned runs across his first two starts of the season. He has walked four and struck out eight in that time. It's a welcomed start to his Sophomore season as Abbott tossed a 3.87 ERA across 21 games as a rookie in the 2023 season, delighting fantasy managers with a solid 26.1% K% in that time. He will need to keep the ball on the ground more often with a concerning 29.1% ground-ball rate early in his career but Abbott's run prevention and solid strikeout rates make him a useable fantasy asset moving forward.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoDetroit Tigers outfielder
Parker Meadows, originally the club's leadoff hitter to begin the season versus right-handed pitching, has been sent down to the eight-hole for Friday's contest against the Minnesota Twins and right-hander
Pablo Lopez. Following a big spring training, Meadows has struggled out of the gate to begin the regular season, hitting just .080 without a homer alongside a pair of stolen bases across his first 32 trips to the plate on the season. Meadows' elite defense in center field has kept him in the starting lineup but fantasy managers might want to brace for a demotion to Triple-A of the bat doesn't perk up in short order.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoDetroit Tigers outfielder
Riley Greene will hit out of the leadoff spot for the first time this season when the club hosts the first of three games versus the rival Minnesota Twins on Friday. It's been an interesting season so far for the 23-year-old. While he's hitting just .205, Greene has also slugged three homers to go along with a double while walking in 17% of his 47 trips to the plate. The former first-round pick hit .288 with 11 homers and seven stolen bases in 99 games last season as it was a great step forward before a stress fracture in his leg followed by Tommy John surgery cut his season short. Greene firmly remains on the dynasty radar as a difference maker for fantasy managers.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles outfielder
Colton Cowser has been promoted to the two-hole for Friday's series opener against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a white-hot start to his season, hitting .458 with two homers, 11 RBI, and a stolen base across his first 26 trips to the plate. Both of those long balls came in Thursday's extra-inning triumph over the Boston Red Sox while he drove in 10 runs across the three-game set their his AL East rival. Drafted with the fifth pick of the 2021 draft, Cowser could be in line for every day starts versus right-handed pitching, making him a wildly attractive fantasy option, especially in dynasty leagues.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoThe scheduled contest between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees on Friday has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader that begins on Saturday at 12:10 p.m. ET. The starting pitching matchups for Saturday are to be determined. The Guardians are off to a hot start, sitting 9-3 and atop the Central Division standings. The Yankees are also pacing their division, sitting atop the AL East with a 10-3 record after a disappointing 2023 campaign that saw them finish at 82-80, good for fourth in the difficult AL East.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Cleveland Guardians
6 days agoThe Tampa Bay Rays have placed second baseman
Brandon Lowe on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. The move is retroactive to Apr. 9 while the club recalled utility man
Niko Goodrum from Triple-A Durham. Lowe has dealt with side soreness a couple of times early in the season and it appears the club will give him some time off to get the issue behind him. For the season, the 29-year-old has hit .185 with one homer across his first 30 trips to the plate. However, he has long been a reliable option at the second-base position as he slugged 21 homers to go along with seven stolen bases across 109 games last season. He is certainly worthy of an injury stash as the issue doesn't seem to be of the long-term variety.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Tricia Whitaker
6 days agoThe Chicago White Sox have signed pitcher
Cory Abbott to a minor-league deal. The 28-year-old was recently released by the Seattle Mariners after failing to make the 40-man roster. Abbott is a former second-round pick of the Chicago Cubs, but never fully reached his potential. He made 22 appearances with the Washington Nationals last season but posted a 6.64 ERA during that time. He's expected to head to Triple-A Charlotte and provide additional depth for the organization.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Steve Adams
6 days agoBoston Red Sox third baseman
Rafael Devers (shoulder) is considered as day-to-day, but will hopefully avoid a trip to the injured list. The good news is that Devers should only need a few more days of rest before returning to the lineup. He'll likely miss the upcoming three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, but fantasy managers will take that over a trip to the 15-day injured list. Manager Alex Cora said Devers is likely to need additional days of rest, so don't expect him to be in Friday's lineup.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Ian Browne
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays pitcher
Jacob Waguespack will get the starting nod against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. The 30-year-old has been operating as a reliever during the early portion of the season. In three appearances, Waguespack has allowed six runs over six innings of work. He does have experience as a starting pitcher, but Waguespack hasn't made a start in nearly five years. He won't be a recommended streaming option ahead of Friday's slate.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Marc Topkin
6 days agoMinnesota Twins starting pitcher
Simeon Woods Richardson is joining the taxi squad with the expectation of starting during Saturday's doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. The right-hander failed to make the team during spring training, but he'll have a chance to impress here. So far in 2024, Woods Richardson has struggled during two starts in Triple-A. He made one appearance for the Twins last season but spent the majority of his time in the minors. He won't be a recommended streaming option for Saturday.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Robert Murray
6 days agoNew York Mets starting pitcher
Jose Butto is expected to take the mound for Sunday's start against the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander recently made a spot start for the Mets during a doubleheader last week. He pitched well allowing only one run over six innings of work against the Detroit Tigers. It appears he'll get at least one more outing in the Mets rotation. He could be worth a look as a possible deep league streaming option on Sunday.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Mike Puma
6 days agoAtlanta Braves starting pitcher
Darius Vines has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday. The organization is still searching for a viable option for the fifth spot in the rotation after the loss of
Spencer Strider (elbow) who was placed on the injured list. Vines is expected to help fill out the rotation, so the rest of the starters can stay on schedule. In a corresponding move, right-hander
Allan Winans has been optioned to Triple-A. Fantasy managers can go ahead and avoid Vines until further notice.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Braves
RADIO
