6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Joc Pederson (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for Pederson against a left-handed starting pitcher. The D-Backs will play matchups here and go with
Blaze Alexander at designated hitter versus
Steven Matz. There's not a ton of value here with Alexander, so most fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option. The expectation is that Pederson should return to the lineup following this game.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoWashington Nationals catcher
Keibert Ruiz (illness) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Ruiz is set to miss his third game in a row due to an illness. The good news is that this shouldn't be something that lands Ruiz on the injured list. In the meantime,
Riley Adams will cover behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander
Paul Blackburn on Friday. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming choice than Adams for Friday's slate.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoHouston Astros starting pitcher
Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to make his next minor league rehab start on Saturday at Double-A Corpus Christi. The 41-year-old appears to be progressing well and could return after this outing. Obviously, the Astros don't want to rush back Verlander, but they need help in the rotation. Fantasy managers will have to check back after Saturday to see how Verlander is feeling. He'll be a must-have fantasy option once he's back on the mound.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Matt Kawahara
6 days agoChicago White Sox outfielder
Luis Robert Jr. (hip) is trending towards a six-week absence, according to general manager Chris Getz. The organization recently gave a timetable of 6-8 weeks for Robert who is recovering from a hip injury. It's encouraging to hear that Robert might only miss six weeks of action. Barring any setbacks, Robert could be back in the lineup before the end of May. In the meantime,
Gavin Sheets should see regular at-bats with
Robbie Grossman and
Kevin Pillar seeing more action as well.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: James Fegan
6 days agoChicago White Sox outfielder
Eloy Jimenez (groin) will reportedly ramp up his running this week, according to general manager Chris Getz. The oft-injured outfielder has been sidelined since early April due to a groin issue. It's nice to hear that Jimenez is ramping up his activities, but it doesn't sound like he's ready to play again yet. The White Sox haven't given much of a timetable for Jimenez, but the expectation is that Jimenez is still a few weeks away. The expectation is that
Robbie Grossman and
Kevin Pillar will see more playing time until Jimenez is ready again.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: James Fegan
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Alek Thomas (hamstring) recently told reporters that he is progressing well from his injury. The 23-year-old was placed on the injured list roughly two weeks ago due to a hamstring injury. Thomas has been taking at-bats in extended spring training and it appears to be going well. The D-Backs haven't given a timetable on Thomas lately, so fantasy managers will have to be patient. In the meantime,
Jake McCarthy will continue seeing increased time in the outfield.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jesse Friedman
6 days agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Charlie Blackmon (illness) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Rockies' manager Bud Black said Blackmon is feeling under the weather, so they will hold him out of this contest. The expectation is that this will be a one-game absence for the veteran outfielder. In the meantime,
Kris Bryant will function as the designated hitter, while
Elehuris Montero covers first base versus right-hander
Kevin Gausman on Friday.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Patrick Saunders
6 days agoMinnesota Twins relief pitcher
Jhoan Duran (oblique) reportedly felt good during his bullpen session on Friday. The right-hander continues working his way back from an oblique injury that has sidelined him since the end of spring training. It sounds like the plan is for Duran to throw again on Tuesday. The 26-year-old is likely still a few weeks away from getting back on the mound for the Twins. Until then, the Twins are likely to go closer by committee with
Griffin Jax being the favorite to get saves.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Do-Hyoung Park
6 days agoMiami Marlins shortstop
Tim Anderson (illness) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves. According to Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, Anderson is sick, so it was better for him to take the day off. He is considered day-to-day. The 30-year-old has started all 13 games for the Marlins, slashing .280/.308/.300 with an RBI, four runs, and two stolen bases over 52 plate appearances.
Vidal Brujan is batting ninth and will handle shortstop duties while Anderson is rested. Brujan has yet to record a hit in 13 plate appearances over seven games this season and can be avoided as a streamer and a DFS play for Friday's main slate.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: Kevin Barral
6 days agoColorado Rockies third baseman
Ryan McMahon, a player who has been swinging a hot bat to begin the season, will be batting in the two-hole as they begin a three-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. McMahon boasts an impressive .383/.464.553 stat line with two home runs and nine RBI. Usually batting third, fourth, or fifth when facing a right-handed pitcher, McMahon will move up in the lineup tonight. However, he faces a difficult matchup as he takes on Toronto ace
Kevin Gausman. Gausman's two previous starts have looked very different as he shut down the Rays but got chased out of the game by the Yankees. McMahon may be a sneaky play tonight in DFS, as many may choose to overlook him simply due to the matchup.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Kevin Gausman will make his third start of the season against the Colorado Rockies at the Rogers Centre this evening. The ace pitcher was dealing with shoulder fatigue earlier in the offseason, which prevented him from seeing time in Spring Training and delayed his season debut. He threw four ⅓ one-run innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in his first start but struggled mightily in his second against the New York Yankees, where he allowed five earned runs. Gausman's velocity dipped in that start but did not express much concern. The 33-year-old should have an excellent opportunity to deliver a quality start against a Rockies team that has the sixth most total strikeouts, making him a fantastic option in DFS.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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
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