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
6 days agoBoston Red Sox right-hander
Brayan Bello (lat) will make a minor-league rehab start with Double-A Portland on Tuesday. Bello has been out the last two weeks with right-lat tightness, but he threw a bullpen session this week and has now been cleared for live game action. If the 24-year-old looks good during his rehab start next week, he could be cleared for activation from the injured list when he's eligible on May 12 to make a start against the Washington Nationals. The Dominican starter was a popular breakout candidate coming into the 2024 season and was looking good before his lat injury, going 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA (4.04 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP with seven walks and 26 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings of work in his first five starts. Bello should remain stashed in all fantasy formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
6 days agoBoston Red Sox middle infielder
Vaughn Grissom (hamstring, illness) is feeling a lot better and is excited to travel with the team to Minnesota for a three-game series against the Twins that starts on Friday. Grissom said if the Red Sox needed him to pinch hit on Thursday, he would have been ready. All signs are pointing to the 23-year-old being activated from the injured list to make his Red Sox debut on Friday. He was initially expected to return this Tuesday, but an illness caused his return to be pushed back. Grissom, who has 15-15 capabilities, even after a late start to the season, will operate as the team's regular second baseman and should be picked up in fantasy leagues if he's available on the waiver wire. Boston acquired Grissom from the Braves as part of the
Chris Sale trade in the offseason.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Boston Herald - Gabrielle Starr
6 days agoThe Boston Red Sox's medical staff is still gathering information on outfielder/designated hitter
Masataka Yoshida's (hand) injury, and surgery isn't being ruled out. Yoshida jammed his left thumb in Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs and landed on the injured list on Wednesday with a left-thumb sprain. If surgery is needed, he'll obviously need to miss extended time, but a specific timetable probably won't be known until after he goes under the knife. Until Yoshida is able to return, the newly acquired
Garrett Cooper figures to serve as Boston's primary designated hitter. The 30-year-old Tanaka continues to make plenty of contact and is currently hitting .275 (22-for-80) with a nice .348 on-base percentage, but he only has two home runs and has driven in 11.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Boston Globe - Alex Speier
6 days agoPittsburgh Pirates right-hander
Paul Skenes, the top prospect in baseball, will make another start for Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday. Skenes, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft, has been knocking on the door for his first big-league promotion for a while, but the Pirates have patiently held off. The 21-year-old made it through six innings (75 pitches) in his sixth start for Indianapolis on Tuesday and didn't allow a run while allowing four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. At this point, he doesn't have much left to prove in the minors, but the Pirates don't want to rush him to the big leagues before he's sufficiently built up. In his six starts for Indy, Skenes has been downright dominant with a 0.39 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP with six walks and 41 K's in 23 innings. His MLB promotion is coming soon, so he needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Indianapolis Indians
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks right-hander
Zac Gallen (hamstring) is penciled in to make his next start on Tuesday in Cincinnati against the Reds. Gallen left his last start last Friday with a minor hamstring injury. He was set to make his return on normal rest this Wednesday to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, but a long delay before Tuesday night's game caused lefty
Jordan Montgomery to be pushed back to Wednesday. It allowed the D-backs to give the 28-year-old a little more rest before his next start. It's a bummer for fantasy managers that Gallen isn't starting at all this week, but he'll also get a much better matchup in the Reds than the Dodgers. He shouldn't have any issues with his hammy and should be returned to starting lineups in all fantasy formats next Tuesday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Mets pitching prospect
Christian Scott will be promoted from Triple-A Syracuse to make his major-league debut on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays on the road, according to a source. Scott was ranked as the 99th prospect on ESPN's Kiley McDaniels' top-100 prospect list entering the spring and has dealt at Triple-A with 36 strikeouts, six walks and only 12 hits allowed in 25 1/3 innings pitched. Scott, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, also had a strong 2.57 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 107 strikeouts and just 12 walks in 87 2/3 innings in three minor-league stops in 2023. The 24-year-old will likely be given a chance to stick in New York's rotation moving forward, which makes him worth a gamble in all fantasy formats. The Mets drafted Scott in the fifth round in 2021 out of Florida.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Kiley McDaniel
6 days agoBoston Red Sox infielder
Enmanuel Valdez has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester with
Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) likely to make his Red Sox debut on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. The 25-year-old struggled mightily at the plate to begin the season, hitting just .156 with two homers and just a 4.1% walk rate against a bloated 30.6% strikeout rate across 98 trips to the plate. His 18 wRC+ suggests his offensive production was a whopping 82% below the league average. Valdez was much better in his big-league debut last season, when he hit .266 with six homers, five stolen bases, and a 102 wRC+ across 49 games and 149 trips to the plate.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Tyler Milliken
6 days agoDetroit Tigers right-hander
Reese Olson will take the bump to start Friday's series opener versus the New York Yankees. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a nice start to his season, tossing a 3.18 ERA across his first five starts and 28 1/3 innings of work, although his 4.09 SIERA suggests some regression may be on the horizon. Nonetheless, Olson has been one of the most unlucky pitchers in the game from a win/loss standpoint as he has allowed just four earned runs over his last three starts and has managed to take the loss in each of those outings. He worked seven innings of one-run ball while striking out eight in his last start against the Royals but failed to gain a single run of offensive support.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Mets reliever
Brooks Raley (elbow) will not return to the club when first eligible from the injured list on Sunday, according to skipper
Carlos Mendoza. Mendoza said, "We're going to take it slow," in regards to Raley's left-elbow inflammation. The southpaw has been excellent to begin the season, working seven scoreless innings across eight appearances thus far while punching out nine of the 25 batters he has faced in that time (36% strikeout rate). It's been a good start for the 35-year-old, who had a 2.80 ERA across 66 outings with the team last season and a 2.68 ERA across 60 outings with the Rays in the 2022 campaign.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
6 days agoHouston Astros right-hander
Spencer Arrighetti will be looking for some improvement when he takes the mound to take on the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. The 24-year-old has been rocked for 13 earned runs through three starts and 10 2/3 innings to begin his big-league career, good for a 10.97 ERA. While his 12.1% BB% leaves much to be desired, Arrighetti also sports a 4.14 xFIP, 4.06 SIERA, and a strong 25.9% K%, suggesting he hasn't been nearly as bad as his surface ERA indicates. The issues with the free passes and big-time strikeout numbers are a continuation from his minor-league career, however, giving fantasy managers a baseline of what to expect from the youngster.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoThe Los Angeles Angels have released outfielder
Aaron Hicks after he was designated for assignment just two days ago. Originally slated for every day playing duties, Hicks struggled mightily in his brief time with the club, hitting just .140 with a homer and a massive 36.5% K% across 63 trips to the plate. The ugly stint with the Angels is an unfortunate drop from what Hicks was able to do to revitalize his career after a move to the Orioles last season. Following a slow start with the Yankees, Hicks hit .275 with seven homers, six steals, and an .806 OPS across 65 games with the Orioles a season ago. He is now free to sign with any team.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB Transaction Tracker
6 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Walker Buehler (elbow) will make his return from Tommy John surgery on Monday to face the Miami Marlins, according to manager Dave Roberts. Buehler will come off the 15-day injured for his first start of 2024 after having elbow reconstruction in August of 2022. The 29-year-old didn't pitch at all in the big leagues last year. Because of his long layoff, fantasy managers may want to temper expectations, but if Buehler returns to his pre-injury form, he could be the difference-maker for fantasy staffs. In his six minor-league starts, he had a 4.15 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with nine walks and 21 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. Rust should be expected from Buehler, but his first start against Miami will be a great matchup for fantasy purposes.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
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