6 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler (1-3) allowed one hit and two walks while striking out eight over 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Chicago White Sox. Wheeler cruised to his first victory of the year by carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning. White Sox catcher Kodie Lee broke up Wheeler's no-hit bid with a ground ball single to right field. The 33-year-old threw 106 pitches, landing 75 pitches for strikes. Wheeler owns a 2.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts over 31 1/3 innings this season. The Phillies ace will look to build on Saturday's performance in his next start on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds.Source: MLB
6 days agoBoston Red Sox right-hander Kenley Jansen struck out the side to earn the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jansen entered Saturday's game in the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. The 36-year-old struck out all three hitters he faced to earn his fifth save of the year. Jansen has converted 5-of-6 save chances with a 2.35 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Jansen as he continues to rack up saves as Boston's primary closer.Source: MLB
6 days agoMinnesota Twins right-hander Griffin Jax struck out two over a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Griffin entered the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. The 29-year-old needed just 12 pitches to retire the side for his second save of the year. Jax owns a 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts over nine innings in 2024. Jhoan Duran (oblique) is set to begin a rehab assignment soon and will take back Minnesota's closer role once activated from the injured list. Fantasy managers should continue to hold onto Jax for now, as he is a favorite for save chances in the Twins bullpen while Duran is sidelined.Source: MLB
6 days agoLos Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (hamstring) exited Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds early with a hamstring injury. Rendon injured himself while running out an infield single. The 33-year-old came off the field with the trainers and was replaced by Zach Neto. Rendon found his groove at the place recently, slashing .382/.421/.833 with three RBI and five runs scored over his last eight games. The severity of his hamstring injury is unknown at this time, and he's considered day-to-day. Luis Rengifo and Miguel Sano should see an uptick in at-bats while Rendon is sidelined. Rengifo is a speculative add in all leagues after hitting .283 (15-for-53) with six stolen bases over 16 games in 2024.Source: Rhett Bollinger
6 days agoToronto Blue Jays right-hander Chad Green (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right teres major strain. Green has been sidelined since Monday due to shoulder soreness and will miss at least the next few weeks with the move to the IL. The 32-year-old owned a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 7:2 K: BB across 7 2/3 innings in 2024. Nate Pearson was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move to replace Green in the bullpen. Pearson posted a 1.11 WHIP and a 9:3 K: BB across 6 1/3 innings in 2024. With Jordan Romano (elbow) returning from injury and Yimi Garcia as the team's top setup man, Pearson is buried in Toronto's bullpen and mainly a fantasy option in deep leagues that reward holds.Source: Toronto Blue Jays
6 days agoNew York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) will require surgery after being diagnosed with a torn UCL in his left thumb. Alvarez injured his thumb while running the bases in the second inning of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. A cleared timeframe for his return will be determined after he undergoes surgery. Although the Mets haven't given an official timetable, Alvarez told teammates he expects to miss 6-8 weeks. Before the injury, he was slashing .236/.288/.364 with a homer, eight RBI, eight runs, and a stolen base over 59 plate appearances. Tomas Nido and Omar Narvaez will handle catcher duties while Alvarez is sidelined. Narvaez should see the bulk of the starts, and it is a speculative add in two-catcher formats.Source: Anthony DiComo
6 days agoHouston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander went six innings in his season debut on Friday and picked up the win in a 5-3 victory over the Nationals. The veteran hurler allowed two earned runs on four hits (one HR) and didn't walk a batter while striking out four. It looks like the 41-year-old won't miss a beat despite missing the first few weeks of the season. Even though his K% has gone down in three consecutive seasons and Contact% has gone up in each of those seasons, the 3x Cy Young winner has remained effective, going 13-8 last season with a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 14.8% K-BB%. His next start lines up with the Cubs next Thursday in Chicago.Source: ESPN
6 days agoMiami Marlins closer Tanner Scott picked up his third save of the season in Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Scott gave up two singles to start the ninth but then retired the next three batter to avoid damage and seal the win without giving up a run. The 29-year-old hasn't gotten many opportunities for closes this season with the Marlins reeling, but he is now three-for-four in close situations and has a 3.72 ERA. Scott will look to pick up at least one more save this weekend with game two of the Saturday doubleheader happening tonight and the series finale against the Cubs happening on Sunday.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin threw six shutout innings and struck out six in the Rays 2-0 extra innings win over the New York Yankees on Saturday. Though Eflin only gave up three hits, Tampa Bay's offense didn't show up until extra innings and prevented Eflin from picking up a deserved win. The right-hander now has back-to-back starts without allowing an earned run. It's a good sign after having giving up five-plus runs in two of his first three starts of the season. The 30-year-old now has a 3.68 ERA to go along with a 1.06 WHIP. He'll get a tasty matchup in his next scheduled start on Friday against the Chicago White Sox and will hold value in all fantasy formats.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes struck out nine in seven shutout innings on Saturday in the Yankees 2-0 extra innings loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Cortes didn't walk a single batter but gave up six hits. It was the lefty's second-best start of the season but he unfortunately didn't record a win with New York's offense putting up a bagel on the scoreboard. Through five starts, Cortes now has a 3.41 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. The 29-year-old should continue his dominant ways in his next scheduled start on Thursday when the Yankees host the Oakland A's, who are hitting lefties for just a .637 OPS.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) is slated for a rehab start on Wednesday. Scherzer recovered well from his live batting practice session and the team feels comfortable enough to move him forward in his recovery process. The expectation is that Scherzer may be ready to return to the Rangers' rotation in early May. The 39-year-old was solid in the regular season with the Rangers in 2023, posting up a 3.20 ERA in eight starts. Scherzer did show some cracks late in the season, though, and expectations for the veteran right-hander may need to be tempered by fantasy managers who are used to Scherzer's gaudy numbers. When he joins the AL West leading Rangers, his value may be best in DFS formatsSource: Evan Grant
6 days agoBoston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is experiencing "left rib discomfort" according to the Red Sox. Not much other detail was given by the team in regards to Casas' injury. The 24-year-old exited the game in the first inning after grabbing at his left side during an at-bat. Though Casas was able to draw a walk and run the bases after the injury it was too painful for him to continue. Boston is already dealing with a litany of injuries to key members of their lineup with Trevor Story, Rafael Devers and Tyler O'Neill being hurt and if Casas is to miss any significant time it would be yet another blow to their lineup. In Casas' absence, Pablo Reyes may see additional playing time.Source: Pete Abraham
6 days agoTexas Rangers first baseman Jared Walsh was designated for assignment on Saturday. The move was correlated with activating Nathaniel Lowe off of the injured list. Walsh hit below league average in his early season stint, slashing .226/.317/.321 in 60 PA and has been a subpar hitter since his breakout years in 2020 and 2021. With the lefty off of the Rangers active roster, Lowe will take on the starting role at first base. Utility player Ezequiel Duran will see decreased playing time as well. Fantasy managers should only have interest in Lowe at this time.Source: Texas Rangers
6 days agoTexas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (oblique) was activated off the injured list today and is in the Rangers lineup for their tilt against the Atlanta Braves. Lowe has been out since early March after experiencing side tightness during spring training. The 28-year-old will bat fifth in his season debut against Braves right-hander Charlie Morton. Lowe is projected to hit for a .269/.352/.431 slash line in 2024 and joins a Rangers lineup that continues to be one of the most productive lineups in the majors. Fantasy managers should look to snag Lowe if possible. With Lowe active, expect decreased playing time for Jared Walsh going forward.Source: Texas Rangers
6 days agoBoston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas exited early in the Red Sox game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. Casas took a swing on a 3-1 count in the top of the first, fouled the ball off and then appeared to grab at his left side. Casas eventually drew a walk and still ran the bases before exiting. Pablo Reyes entered the game for the 24-year-old. More should be known about the extent of Casas' injury after the game but fantasy managers are hoping the highly-ranked first baseman won't miss much time if any. The Red Sox are already dealing with a swath of injuries to key contributors in Trevor Story and Rafael Devers and another blow to a productive member of their lineup would be a gut punch to Boston.Source: Chris Cotillo