6 days agoChicago Cubs first baseman
Michael Busch and catcher
Yan Gomes are not in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander
A.J. Puk.
Garrett Cooper is playing first base and batting seventh in the lineup, while
Miguel Amaya is doing the catching and batting in the nine-hole against Puk. Busch had a streak of five straight games with a home run come to an end this week and he's hitting a strong .317 (19-for-60) overall with six total long balls, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored to start his first year in Chicago. He's hit just .167 (4-for-24) and has yet to homer against a left-hander in his career, though, so he'll likely occasionally be rested against lefties this year. Cooper has never faced Puk in his career, while Amaya has a hit and RBI in his only career at-bat against the southpaw.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoChicago Cubs starting pitching prospect
Cade Horton tossed four shutout innings on Tuesday, allowing just one hit and one free pass. The right-hander struck out five. Horton carried his dominance into his second start of the season and holds an overall 1.13 ERA and 0.75 WHIP across eight innings with nine strikeouts. The former seventh overall pick is the top pitching prospect in the Cubs system and should be expected to make his major league debut later this summer. The Cubs have had early season struggles with both their starting pitching and relievers due to injuries and poor performances. Horton could look to fill that void in the stretch run as the Cubs hope to win the NL Central. The 22-year-old is worth stashing in deeper redraft formats and should already be rostered in keeper and dynasty leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles outfield prospect
Jud Fabian went 4-for-4 with a walk on Thursday. The 23-year-old is off to a hot start at Double-A with a .297/.395/.486 slash line with one home run. Fabian has taken significant steps forward, as he hit for a mediocre .176/.314/.399 across 64 games at Double-A last season. Fabian is ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Baltimore system, per MLB Pipeline, and should be expected to make his major-league debut in 2025. Fabian is worth looking into in dynasty leagues, especially if he continues to play well at Double-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles outfield prospect
Heston Kjerstad launched his eighth home run of the season to cap off a 3-for-3 day at the plate. The 25-year-old has been off to an unbelievable start to the season with a .342/.425/.726 slash line and is closing in on double-digit long balls in the minor leagues. Kjerstad held his own in the majors last season, albeit in a small sample size, where he hit for a .233 batting average and two home runs, and he should be in for a bigger opportunity this season. Kjerstad is on the brink of a promotion and is worth stashing, even in standard single-season leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoNew York Yankees outfield prospect
Everson Pereira launched two home runs on three hits on Thursday night, which powered Triple-A Scranton to their 12th victory of the season. Pereira is riding a .255/.359/.618 line with six total long balls this season. The 23-year-old got a small taste of the majors in 2023 and should receive another call-up later in the summer. With top prospect
Jasson Dominguez injured (elbow) and
Spencer Jones still in Double-A, Pereira could be the first name from the Yankee system promoted this season and is worth holding onto in dynasty and keeper leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoToronto Blue Jays shortstop/second base prospect
Orelvis Martinez launched his third home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning, which eventually served as the game-winner. The 22-year-old went 2-5 in Thursday's game and is batting .305/.359/.576 across the young part of the season. Martinez is doing much better in Triple-A this season compared to last year, where he hit for a .263/.340/.507 slash line with 11 home runs. Martinez is making quite a case for a promotion and should come up as a second baseman, since
Bo Bichette will continue to serve as the team's shortstop. The second-ranked prospect in the Toronto system is worth stashing in deeper leagues for now.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
7 days agoBoston Red Sox outfielder
Jarren Duran filled up the stat sheet on Thursday, going 1-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base in a 5-4 loss against the Cleveland Guardians. Duran hit a triple and walked, the latter of which led to his seventh steal of the season. As the leadoff man for Boston, Duran should have ample opportunity to steal bases and so far he's made the most of it. He is a great three-category contributor who will help fantasy teams with AVG, runs, and steals while providing the occasional homer. He should be rostered in most leagues.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoTexas Rangers second baseman
Marcus Semien had a great day at the dish on Thursday, leading the team to a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. Semien went 3-for-6 with a homer and a double while scoring a pair of runs and knocking in one. With the big performance, the 33-year-old bumps up his slash line to .286/.355/.464 on the season. He also has 16 runs scored, three homers, 17 RBI, and a stolen base. While the counting numbers are great, his power and speed have left a little to be desired so far, but those should pick up as the season goes on.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoSan Francisco Giants right-hander
Alex Cobb (shoulder, elbow, hip) said after the game on Thursday night that he had an MRI exam come back clean and that he will throw on flat ground on Friday. The news comes after it was reported earlier on Thursday that Cobb developed "mild shoulder inflammation" in his right arm two days after his latest bullpen session. The 36-year-old veteran has now dealt with elbow and shoulder issues while initially rehabbing from offseason hip surgery. It's good news that his shoulder injury isn't anything serious, but he's going to need at least several weeks to ramp his arm back up before he becomes a realistic option for the Giants' starting rotation in 2024. Injury issues aside, there's not a ton of fantasy upside with Cobb at this point in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: San Francisco Chronicle - John Shea
7 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webb picked up his second win of the season on Thursday in a 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Webb had his best outing on the year in this one, twirling seven shutout frames while allowing just two hits. He also walked one and struck out five in the dominant performance. Other than a tough start against the Dodgers early on, Webb has been exactly what we expected this season, a sturdy innings eater who can solidify a rotation. He should keep being exactly that, and should seldom leave fantasy lineups.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoUpdating a previous report, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander
Ryne Nelson (elbow) was removed from Thursday night's loss to the San Francisco Giants after two innings due to a right-elbow contusion that he suffered when he was hit by a comebacker. While Nelson looked to be in considerable pain after taking the shot to his pitching arm, it looks like he avoided any fractures or breaks to his elbow. That doesn't mean the 26-year-old won't have to go on the injured list, but for now, it appears Nelson has avoided a serious injury and has a good shot to make his next scheduled start for the D-backs. Coming into Thursday's start, his fourth of the season, the former second-rounder in 2019 out of Oregon had a 5.27 ERA and 1.61 WHIP with five walks and 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings in starts against the Yankees, Braves and Cardinals.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Arizona Diamondbacks
7 days agoCleveland Guardians closer
Emmanuel Clase locked down his fifth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Clase was sharp in this one, throwing a perfect inning and striking out one. It was nice to see this kind of outing from Clase, who had blown his last two save opportunities before this one. That said, the 26-year-old has been sharp overall this season, going 5-for-7 in save opportunities while pitching to a 1.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. He will remain an elite closer for fantasy purposes.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoTexas Rangers relief pitcher
Kirby Yates closed out the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in a 9-7 win. Yates got the final four outs of this one, allowing just a hit while striking out one. It was the 37-year-old's second save of the season, with his first coming on Monday. He has been used as Texas' highest-leverage pitcher for the past few weeks and is likely to continue in that role, which will presumably give him the best chance at saves in the Rangers bullpen. He should be added in any leagues where saves matter.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoPittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect
Paul Skenes was electric on Thursday, dominating minor-league hitters for Triple-A Indianapolis. Skenes pitched 3 ⅓ innings of shutout ball, allowing just a hit and two walks while striking out a whopping eight. He also built up to 65 pitches in this one. The Pirates said earlier in the day that Skenes will need more seasoning in the minors before he is called up, but it's going to be really tough to keep him down there if he keeps pitching like he has been. He needs to be rostered in all leagues at this point, as his call-up feels like an inevitability.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB
7 days agoThe Boston Red Sox announced on Thursday that they acquired right-hander
Vladimir Gutierrez from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, the team moved shortstop
Trevor Story (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. Gutierrez started the year with the Miami Marlins but was claimed off waivers earlier this month by Milwaukee. The 28-year-old Cuban hurler gave up three earned runs on three hits (one home run) while walking two and striking out four in his only major-league outing this year in a four-inning relief appearance in Milwaukee. Gutierrez has experience out of the bullpen and as a starter in his two previous major-league seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and will provide pitching depth in Boston now.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Boston Globe - Pete Abraham
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