6 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals designated hitter
Matt Carpenter (oblique) received a platelet-rich injection on Monday for his strained right oblique, according to manager Oliver Marmol. The plan is for Carpenter to have three days of no activity followed by hitting coach thrown batting practice and then machine work before they look at getting him live at-bats. The 38-year-old veteran had three hits in 10 at-bats over three games at the beginning of the season before getting hurt and landing on the injured list. When healthy, Carpenter will strictly be a bench bat and a DH option for the Cards when they are facing right-handed pitching. In 76 games with the San Diego Padres in 2023, he slashed a miserable .176/.322/.319 with five home runs and 31 RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Lynn Worthy
6 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Dylan Carlson (shoulder) has taken swings, including some in the cage off batting practice tosses, and has gone through defensive work that includes throwing. However, he's still feeling some pain on the follow-through of his right-handed swing, but throwing has gone better than expected. There remains no timetable for his 2024 debut, but he's making progress and could start a minor-league rehab assignment in a few days. The 25-year-old is making slow progress and appears to be ahead of
Tommy Edman (wrist) in his rehab, so he could be set for a starting role in center field when he's able to come off the injured list. The switch-hitting former 33rd overall pick in 2016 has disappointed in recent seasons, and injuries haven't helped his cause. When Edman is ready, Carlson figures to be a fourth outfielder in St. Louis.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Belleville News - Jeff Jones
6 days agoWashington Nationals right-hander
Josiah Gray (elbow, forearm) played catch up to 60 feet for two days in a row late last week, according to manager Dave Martinez. Gray was put on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 6) after an MRI exam showed a right elbow/forearm flexor strain before his scheduled April 9 start against the San Francisco Giants. He is 0-2 on the year with a 14.04 ERA in two starts, so he may have already been dropped in a lot of fantasy leagues after he landed on the IL. The 26-year-old is without a clear timetable to return and has plenty of steps to go through before the Nationals will seriously consider activating him from the IL and throwing him back into their starting rotation.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoWashington Nationals outfielder
Victor Robles (hamstring) will travel with the team as he continues to rehab a left-hamstring strain, which he suffered running from first to third base on April 3. Robles is throwing and hitting without pain and has regained full range of motion. Manager Dave Martinez hopes he will begin running drills soon. Robles had returned to full health during spring training after back spasms limited him to 36 games in 2023. It's good news that the 26-year-old is making progress, but when he's ready to rejoin the big-league roster, he's probably going to need to produce to continue playing regularly, especially given the fact that Washington has several big-name prospects that are itching to make their major-league debuts.
Jacob Young has been serving as Washington's center fielder with Robles out and has gone 11-for-42 (.262) with no homers, two RBI and six steals in 15 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMiami Marlins starting pitcher
Ryan Weathers struggled in Monday's 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Weathers went for 5 2/3 innings pitched while allowing six hits, one homer, and three runs while walking three batters and only striking out one. The 24-year-old moves to 2-2 on the season with a 3.16 ERA, an 8.1 K/9 rate, and a 4.1 BB/9 rate through five games. The Marlins played it safe in his previous start against the San Francisco Giants where they pulled him due to cramping in his left hand. While it wasn't a huge concern before, fantasy managers will want to watch him in his next start versus the Washington Nationals to see if the left-hand cramping is an issue.
--Shaun Evans - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
6 days agoAn MRI exam that Boston Red Sox first baseman
Triston Casas (rib) underwent on Monday confirmed the expectation that he's going to miss a significant amount of time with his injury. Casas was placed on the 10-day injured list, but it's basically a foregone conclusion that he'll miss much more time than that. The former 26th overall pick in 2018 out of high school needs to be stashed in all fantasy formats for now, as he had already cleared the fences six times while driving in 10 in his first 78 at-bats of the 2024 season while hitting .244 (19-for-78). Until Casas is able to return, the Red Sox will move forward with some combination of
Bobby Dalbec,
Pablo Reyes and
Rob Refsnyder at first base in Beantown. With none of the trio likely to see consistent playing time, they aren't very attractive in mixed fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Boston Globe - Julian McWilliams
6 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Keaton Winn had a strong performance in Monday's 5-2 win over the New York Mets. Winn pitched well through six innings with six strikeouts while allowing just four hits, one homer, and one batter walked. After a rough start to the season, the Giants pitcher has mellowed out and secured two-straight wins, bringing his season record to 2-3 with a 3.54 ERA and 7.39 K/9 rate through his first five starts. He is a pitcher to keep stashed across all formats, with a nice matchup versus the Pirates in his next start.
--Shaun Evans - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
6 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect
Tink Hence has adjusted positively in his second go-around for Double-A Springfield. Over his first three starts, he has a pristine 1.17 ERA in 15 1/3 innings. He has also struck out 17 batters with just two walks on the season. Hence, 21, split time in 2023 between High-A Peoria and Springfield, but struggled in Springfield with a 5.47 ERA in 12 starts versus a 2.81 ERA for Peoria. Hence offers good velocity on his fastball that registers in the mid-90s to go along with a nice changeup and slider. Hence has shown the ability to be a very productive pitcher, but durability remains a concern in the long-term with Hence never throwing more than 100 innings in a season or 82 pitches in a single game. If Hence can improve his stamina, he has the future makings of a MLB starter, but if he continues to have durability issues, Hence would be best suited as a relief pitcher. He remains an intriguing option for dynasty managers to monitor.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoPittsburgh Pirates second base prospect
Termarr Johnson has been off to a slow start over his first 14 games for High-A Greensboro. Johnson, 19, is coming off a strong season between Single-A and High-A in 2023 that saw him hit a combined .244 with 18 homers, 59 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 105 games. So far in 2024, Johnson has struggled to the tune of a .205 batting average with no homers, seven RBI and two stolen bases. Johnson has a keen eye at the plate and follows that up with plenty of power potential. Although second baseman aren't the biggest power hitters, Johnson can be special offensively and should be held onto in dynasty leagues, even though he may be a few seasons away from contributing at the big-league level.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMinnesota Twins outfield prospect
Emmanuel Rodriguez has been doing it all this season for Double-A Wichita. The 21-year-old outfielder has dealt with injuries the last two seasons, but looks fully recovered in his first 14 games of the season. Over that span, Rodriguez is hitting a healthy .289 with four homers, 10 RBI and eight stolen bases. He also has a shiny 1.219 OPS. Rodriguez has risen a level in each year of professional career with the Twins and held his own at each stop. The left-handed hitter has very good bat speed and strong plate discipline at such a young age and his power game is just developing as he fills out his body. The biggest flaw for the youngster has been his ability to stay healthy, but he has the future makings of a five-tool star, if everything clicks. He is a couple years away, but he should be looked at by dynasty managers and a name for redraft managers to file away for as early as next season.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect
Druw Jones has been off to a slow start in 2024 for Single-A Visalia. Early in the season, Jones is hitting a weak .171 with five RBI and no home runs or steals. The son of Andruw Jones, Druw has battled injuries in his young professional career, since being drafted second overall in 2022. Jones, 20, already plays great defense like his father and also is very smooth on the basepaths, but he needs to improve his hit tool. Since being drafted, Jones has dealt with shoulder, quad and hamstring injuries and that is a big reason why his hitting hasn't developed as planned. As Jones fully recovers from those past injuries, his hit tool should improve. For now, Jones is a name to monitor in dynasty leagues, but can be a big asset if he reaches all his potential. He remains a few years away from being talked about a big-league promotion.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoSeattle Mariners shortstop prospect
Ryan Bliss went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a walk for Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday. He also drove in a run and scored once. The 24-year-old is having a decent season so far at the plate, going
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7 days agoDetroit Tigers starting pitcher
Tarik Skubal put forth another excellent performance in Monday's 7-1 win over the Rays. Skubal pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and no walks with nine strikeouts. The 27-year-old has been every bit as good as fantasy managers had hoped for, going 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA, a 10.62 K/9 rate, and a 1.52 BB/9 rate in five starts. He will look to continue his hot streak in his next scheduled start against the Royals.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoAtlanta Braves closer
Raisel Iglesias converted his seventh save of the season in Monday's 3-0 win over the Marlins. Iglesias came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three and delivered a 1-2-3 outing with a strikeout. The 34-year-old veteran has converted all of his save opportunities with a 2.16 ERA, a 6.48 K/9 rate, and a 1.08 BB/9 rate. The strikeouts have been down, but Iglesias should continue to be a higher-end fantasy option serving as the closer on one of baseball's best teams.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoAtlanta Braves catcher
Travis d'Arnaud continued his power surge in Monday's 3-0 win over the Marlins. d'Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a single, a two-run home run, and a strikeout. The 35-year-old veteran has hit five HR in his last four games, bringing his season numbers to a .273/.344/.636 slash line with 14 RBI in 61 plate appearances. d'Arnaud should be a viable fantasy option in at least two-catcher leagues as long as he continues to hit while
Sean Murphy (oblique) is on the injured list with an oblique injury.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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