6 days agoNew York Yankees pitching prospect
Clayton Beeter tallied a season-high of nine strikeouts to earn his third victory of the season in Triple-A. This was his best start of the season, putting the 25-year-old in a good opportunity to return to the major leagues. Beeter was named to the Yankees Opening Day Roster but only threw one inning while with the major league team this season before returning to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. However, after being sent back down to Triple-A, Beeter has posted a strong 2.74 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 35 punchouts across 23 innings. The former Texas Tech Red Raider should be a name to monitor in deeper AL-only formats, as he could see opportunities later in the summer to start games for the Yankees.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoCleveland Guardians right-hander
Gavin Williams (elbow) has been cleared to begin throwing and did so on Thursday pain-free, according to manager
Stephen Vogt. An elbow injury has kept Williams from making his 2024 debut with the Guardians after a fine rookie season in 2023 in which he went 3-5 with a 3.29 ERA (4.05 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP with 81 strikeouts and 37 walks in 82 innings in his first 16 major-league starts. He allowed just one earned run in 4 2/3 spring training innings over two appearances as well before getting hurt and landing on the injured to open the year. The 24-year-old former 23rd overall pick in 2021 out of East Carolina isn't exactly close to joining Cleveland's rotation, but he showed enough last year to be worthy of stashing in mixed fantasy leagues if you have the room on your roster.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mandy Bell
6 days agoSan Francisco Giants right-hander
Jordan Hicks (side) is scheduled to make the start on Friday in the series opener in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Hicks felt some tightness in his side in his last start on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he managed it well and struck out a season-high nine batters while giving up just one earned run in six innings. There was a lot to be skeptical about from Hicks from a fantasy perspective with his move to a full-time starting role in 2024, mainly because of his history with injuries as a hard-throwing reliever. However, he's excelling so far in San Fran and has gone 2-0 with a fantastic 1.59 ERA (3.08 FIP) and 0.91 WHIP with 27 K's and 10 walks in 34 innings over his six starts. He'll face a tough matchup in a hostile environment on Friday against a Phillies offense that ranks seventh in MLB in OPS (.742), but he's been a must-start through the first month.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMilwaukee Brewers third base prospect
Mike Boeve was recently promoted to Double-A Biloxi after having a great start to the season at High-A. Boeve posted a dominant .553/.642/.632 stat line with a 13:5 BB:K ratio across 13 games at High-A Wisconsin. Boeve has carried the momentum into his first nine games at Double-A with an excellent .306/.405/.583 line and has already tallied four doubles and three triples. The 14th-ranked prospect is beginning to make headlines and is worth monitoring in dynasty leagues as he is quickly progressing through the minor leagues. Even though MLB Pipeline projects the 21-year-old to reach the majors in 2026, with the rate he is currently going at, do not be surprised if he is knocking on the door by next summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Christopher Morel went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk during Thursday's extra-innings loss to the New York Mets. The 24-year-old is now slashing .209/.287/.383 with five homers, 17 RBI and three stolen bases in 31 games. Morel has not had the breakout campaign some pundits were expecting as he has struggled to find consistency at the plate. There is still value in his bat due to his power potential and positional versatility, but he is becoming more of a liability in shallow formats.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong has pitched 23 ⅔ shutout innings to open the 2024 season. Tong began in Single-A and tossed 18 ⅔ clean innings to the tune of a 0.64 WHIP and 36 punchouts. Then, the 20-year-old was promoted to High-A earlier this week and looked just as stellar in his debut on May 2 with the Brooklyn Cyclones. In his first start, he pitched five innings and allowed two hits and three free passes with seven punchouts. Tong remains a name to monitor in deep dynasty leagues, as he is expected to remain in High-A for the entire summer. If he continues this course, he could develop into a top prospect in the Mets system.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Juan Soto went 2-for-4 in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles and extended his hit streak to 10 games. Soto's streak is currently the third-longest active streak in the majors. He has only gone hitless in seven of his first 33 games this year. The 25-year-old is enjoying a strong first season in the Bronx, as he is slashing .331/.441/.589 with eight homers, 25 RBI, and four stolen bases. He has also scored 22 runs and owns a ridiculous 26:20 BB:K. Soto is unquestionably one of the top fantasy assets in baseball and should be locked into lineups whenever he takes the field.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher
Max Scherzer (back, thumb) is likely to make his next minor-league rehab start next week. He started a rehab game at Triple-A Round Rock last Wednesday and dealt with some lingering thumb soreness that pushed his next appearance back a few days. Apparently, that outing will come sometime in the next seven days as Scherzer said his thumb is improving. The 39-year-old is a risky fantasy asset due to potential injury reoccurrence, but he is still worthy of a roster spot if he has a place to be stashed. Scherzer still probably needs a couple of starts to build his arm up before joining the Rangers. Barring any setbacks, fantasy managers can anticipate his return sometime in mid-May.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Wilson
6 days agoSan Francisco Giants closer
Camilo Doval struck out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. The 26-year-old is six-for-six on save opportunities this season to go along with a 3.09 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 15/6 K/BB. Doval has not been flawless this year, but he has found a way to work around trouble when it pops up. The right-hander remains a premium fantasy option as he tries to usurp last season's career-high of 39 saves.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMiami Marlins starter
Edward Cabrera allowed four runs on three hits across four innings of work during Thursday's 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. Cabrera struck out nine batters in the shortened outing while issuing four walks. A three-run shot by
Jacob Stallings in the second inning put a sizeable blemish on the 26-year-old's day. He also struggled with his command, as he only tossed 56-of-91 pitches for strikes. Cabrera owns a bloated 6.05 ERA through four starts in 2024, although he still possesses significant strikeout upside. He should be sat in all fantasy formats heading into his next start against the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers lineup.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher
Carlos Rodon had a start to forget on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles. The left-hander was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts. He did not issue a walk, but he gave up three homers in the defeat. Prior to this outing against a tough Orioles lineup, Rodon had not allowed more than three runs in any outing this season. He will carry a 3.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 36/14 K/BB into his next projected start against the underperforming Houston Astros. Rodon still deserves to be rostered in most fantasy formats.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (illness) did not start Thursday's game against the Chicago Cubs, but he still managed to make a massive impact. The talented infielder came off the bench in the sixth inning and proceeded to hit a two-run double to bring the Mets within a run. In extra innings, Lindor smacked another double to cash in two runs and earn the walk-off win. It was one of Lindor's stronger games this season, as he has struggled at the plate in the early going. His .207/.287/.380 slash line is rather uninspiring, so hopefully this performance kick-starts the four-time All-Star.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoHouston Astros right-hander
Cristian Javier (neck) will embark on a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend. It was reported earlier this week that Javier had a shot to come off the 15-day injured list to start this weekend against the Seattle Mariners, but that won't be the case. Instead, the 27-year-old will make a start in the minors. If that goes well, he should come off the IL to join Houston's rotation at some point late next week. The Dominican hurler should be rostered in all fantasy formats after starting the 2024 season with a 2-0 record, 1.54 ERA (3.57 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with 11 walks and 18 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings over his first four starts. When Javier is back in the fold in Houston, rookie
Spencer Arrighetti will likely be sent back to the minors.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: KPRC 2 Sports - Ari Alexander
6 days agoCincinnati Reds outfielder
TJ Friedl (wrist) and left-handed reliever
Alex Young (back) are heading out on minor-league rehab assignments on Thursday with Triple-A Louisville. Manager David Bell said the rehab assignment will be like spring training for Friedl, who had his spring training cut short due to a small fracture in his right wrist in mid-March. It means that the 28-year-old will likely be in the minors for the maximum amount of time, especially given how crowded Cincy's outfield rotation already is. Once he's back with the Reds, Friedl will battle for playing time against right-handed pitching. Young, who is on the 60-day injured list while recovering from low-back disc degeneration, won't be eligible to return until late May.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Cincinnati Enquirer - Charlie Goldsmith
6 days agoTexas Rangers right-hander
Nathan Eovaldi (groin) left his start early on Thursday against the visiting Washington Nationals with right-groin tightness. It's obviously bad news for a pitcher with a pretty lengthy injury history, but at least it's not an injury to his pitching arm. The silver lining on Thursday is that the 34-year-old threw 5 1/3 shutout innings against the Nats before leaving, allowing only two hits while walking two and striking out eight to drop his season ERA to 2.61. The severity of Eovaldi's groin injury is not known yet, but fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if he needs to take a couple weeks off. Coming into his start on Thursday afternoon, Eovaldi had a 1-2 record, 3.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 36 strikeouts in 36 innings over six starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
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