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
6 days agoCincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand is back in the Reds lineup on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. Encarnacion-Strand had been out the last two games with a scheduled day off on Wednesday and an illness on Friday. The 24-year-old will get a matchup against Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval. Encarnacion-Strand has struggled this season, putting up a .192/.197/.329 slash line in 76 PA. He hasn't been good against lefties either, hitting for just a .095 batting average. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect much in his return today and may need to exercise some patience before getting Encarnacion-Strand back in their lineups.Source: Cincinnati Reds
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins is out of the Orioles lineup on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. This appears to be a matchup decision as the Royals are starting their dynamic lefty Cole Ragans. Jorge Mateo will be starting in center field in place of Mullins. Mateo has been much stronger against lefties, hitting for a .908 OPS compared to Mullins' .388 OPS in 16 PA. The 29-year-old should be expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday as the Orioles will face off against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo.Source: Baltimore Orioles
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday and outfielder Colton Cowser are out of the Orioles lineup on Saturday against Kansas City Royals lefty Cole Ragans. Holliday has had a rough start to his MLB career, hitting for a .037 batting average in 28 PA. Cowser has been Baltimore's best hitter, on the other hand, posting a 1.178 OPS in 51 PA. Austin Hays will get the start in left field for Cowser. Jordan Westburg will slide over from third base to second base and Ramon Urias will start at third. Both Holliday and Cowser should be expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo.Source: Baltimore Orioles
6 days agoMinnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (quadriceps) has started to begin baseball activities according to the Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta. "We're looking to get him in a running progression probably the end of next week. He's still got some boxes to check, but heading in the right direction," the trainer said. No timetable has been set for the 24-year-old's return though it's still likely he won't be back until closer to the All Star Break. Kyle Farmer and Jose Miranda have been splitting time at third base in Lewis' absence. Farmer has hit for a paltry 15 wRC+ in 41 PA while Miranda has hit for a 119 wRC+ in 28 PA. Fantasy managers shouldn't rush to add either player in Lewis' absence, though Miranda shows more potential currently.Source: Aaron Gleeman
6 days agoHouston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (elbow) threw a bullpen session on Saturday. This marks the first time Valdez has thrown off of a mound since he was put on the injured list. The Astros will wait to see how the lefty responds to the bullpen session before taking next steps, though there is a chance he will be activated without needing a rehab start. The Astros are desperate for his return as their staters have posted a 4.93 ERA to begin the season, 5th worst in the majors. The lefty posted a 2.19 ERA in his two starts before hitting the injured list so his return will provide a boost to the Astros, who also welcomed back Justin Verlander on Friday. Fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on Valdez's progress in the event a rehab assignment isn't necessary.Source: Julia Morales
6 days agoCincinnati Reds infielder Jeimer Candelario (illness) is back in the starting lineup Saturday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and left-hander Patrick Sandoval. The veteran has been out since being scratched from Tuesday's contest with an illness, but he appears to be feeling better and will man the hot corner and hit cleanup against the southpaw on Saturday. It's been a slow start to the season for the 30-year-old, who is hitting just .190 with a couple of homers and a .649 OPS across his first 64 trips to the plate after he set career-highs with 22 homers and eight stolen bases across 140 games between the Nationals and Cubs in the 2023 campaign.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoPittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller will look to keep up the good work in a Saturday outing versus the visiting Boston Red Sox. After allowing four earned runs in each of his first two starts of the season, the 28-year-old has allowed just two earned runs in each of his last two starts and 13 innings of work. He has 13 strikeouts against just four walks in that time and did not walk a batter across seven innings his last time out. Fantasy managers should certainly be encouraged by his start to the season, even if his 19.8% K% leaves something to be desired as he posted a 25.5% K% last season alongside a healthy 18.8% K-BB%. He should see continued positive ERA regression moving forward as his 3.87 xFIP and 4.09 SIERA sit well below his 4.50 ERA on the young season.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoOakland A's left-hander Alex Wood will be in search of better results as he takes on the hosting Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. The club's Opening Day starter, Wood was tagged for six earned runs in that outing and has pitched to a 8.10 ERA through his first four starts of the season. He lasted just 4 1/3 frames his last time out, yielding four earned runs on seven hits, including a homer, with four walks and four strikeouts in a no-decision against the Washington Nationals. Wood has struggled with his control via an 11.8% BB% while his ground-ball rate has plummeted to just 32.7%. However, his results should improve once his bloated .442 BABIP normalizes.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto is on the bench to start Saturday's contest against the hosting Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Graham Ashcraft. Neto's slow start to the season continued in on Friday as he went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts as part of a 7-1 loss in the series opener. The 23-year-old is hitting just .185 without a homer and four stolen bases alongside a .495 OPS across his first 72 plate appearances on the young season. Neto needed just 48 minor-league games before making his MLB debut last season when he hit .225 with nine homers, five steals, and a .685 OPS across 84 contests. Luis Rengifo will handle shortstop duties on Saturday.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoCleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the visiting Oakland Athletics. The 25-year-old went 1-for-4 with a run scored, two RBI, and a stolen base during Friday's 10-2 victory but will begin Saturday's game on the bench. Gimenez has shown a nice combination of power and speed over the last couple of seasons, slugging 32 homers and stealing 50 bags over the last two campaigns. He has hit .291 on the young season and while he has yet to hit a home run, he does have three stolen bases and a .736 OPS across his first 91 trips to the plate. The Guardians are off to a hot start, sitting atop the AL Central with a 14-6 record on the young season.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoSan Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's afternoon contest against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Zac Gallen. Chapman did his part on Friday by going 1-for-3 with a double and a walk but his team was blown out to the tune of a 17-1 final score as the Giants mustered just four hits on the night. The 30-year-old has flashed some power with four homers and five doubles on the young season but is also hitting just .205 with a .677 OPS across his first 90 trips to the plate in a Giants uniform. The Giants are just 9-12 on the young season despite a busy offseason that saw them add a number of notable free agents, including Chapman.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno is on the bench for Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants and left-hander Kyle Harrison. Moreno started and went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two runs, and three RBI as part of a massive 17-1 blowout win over the Giants but will get a break in a day game following a night game on Friday. The young backstop is hitting .241 without a homer on the season but his impressive 14.3% BB% is roughly double his tiny 7.9% K% across his first 63 trips to the plate on the young season. Moreno has dealt with a thumb injury that cost him a couple of starts earlier in the week but he is back to health and is a batting average-first fantasy asset.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoPittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz has been slipped down to the eight-hole for Saturday's contest against the Boston Red Sox and right-hander Kutter Crawford. The 25-year-old has hit out of the seven spot on occasion this season, but the eight-hole is the lowest spot in the order he has started at so far while he has largely served as the team's leadoff hitter. However, he's off to a sluggish start at the plate, hitting .222 with three homers, one stolen base, and a .605 OPS across his first 85 trips to the plate on the young season. Even with a massive 40% strikeout rate against only a 4.7% walk rate, fantasy managers should continue to exercise patience, as Cruz ranks in the 88th percentile in average exit velocity and the 89th percentile in hard-hit rate to this point in the season.Source: MLB.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the New York Mets and right-hander Jose Butto. It's a predictable absence as the Dodgers and Mets played a night game on Friday but will get together for an afternoon clash on Saturday. Smith went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a run scored on Friday but the Dodgers took a 9-4 loss despite his efforts. The 29-year-old has come out of the gate hot this season, hitting .356 with a homer, five doubles, and an .861 OPS across 81 plate appearances, good for fourth-most among big-league backstops. The Dodgers have surprisingly dropped four of their last five entering Saturday's contest.Source: MLB.com