1 week agoPhiladelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner is being dropped to the No. 5 spot in the batting order on Friday against the Washington Nationals and right-hander Josiah Gray, while outfielder Kyle Schwarber slides up into the leadoff spot. Turner is in a rough stretch that has seen him go 5-for-38 (.132) with a home run, four RBI and five strikeouts in his last nine games. It has dropped his overall line in his first year in Philly to a disappointing .236/.279/.369 with 12 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 15 RBI and eight steals in 55 games. The 29-year-old could heat up at any moment, but the move down to the five-hole on Friday is bad news for his immediate fantasy value. Schwarber hasn't been much better of late, going 2-for-30 in his last nine games.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

1 week agoToronto Blue Jays first baseman Brandon Belt (illness) is back in the lineup on Friday as the designated hitter while batting cleanup against right-hander Justin Verlander and the New York Mets. Belt has been a bit under the weather this week, but he's feeling better now and will return for the start of a weekend series against the Mets in Queens. The 35-year-old veteran left-handed hitter is batting a mediocre .256 (32-for-125) on the season with 10 doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI in 40 games, but he had a much more productive month of May by hitting .333 (22-for-66) with six doubles, a homer and seven RBI in 23 games played. Belt has faced Verlander just three times in his career and has one hit.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

1 week agoTampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco (shoulder) is back in the starting lineup on Friday, batting second against right-hander Garrett Whitlock and the Boston Red Sox. Franco was dealing with some minor left-shoulder discomfort and sat out of the lineup as a precaution on Wednesday, but he's ready to go now after another off day on Thursday. Fantasy managers need to get the star 22-year-old back in all of their starting lineups to kick off the weekend. At a premium position, Franco continues to be a fantasy star and is currently hitting a strong .298 (65-for-218) with 15 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 29 RBI, 20 stolen bases and 35 runs scored in 55 games. He can do it all.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

1 week agoThe Texas Rangers announced on Friday that they activated catcher Mitch Garver (knee) from the 10-day injured list and optioned outfielder Bubba Thompson to Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move. Garver will return to the Rangers after suffering a knee injury early in April after playing in just six games. In six minor-league rehab games, the 32-year-old veteran backstop went 6-for-19 with two home runs, so he appears ready to go, although he's not back in the starting lineup for Texas on Friday against the Seattle Mariners. Jonah Heim will continue to see most of the starts behind the dish for the Rangers, but Garver will mix in when needed at catcher and designated hitter. In 19 at-bats before his injury, he had five hits (two home runs) and six RBI.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers PR

1 week agoThe Chicago White Sox officially activated right-hander Mike Clevinger (wrist) from the 15-day injured list on Friday and optioned right-hander Jesse Scholtens to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move. Clevinger will return to make the start in the series opener against the Detroit Tigers on Friday. The matchup is a nice one against the Tigers in his return, but the 32-year-old hurler hasn't pitched in the big leagues since suffering from right-wrist inflammation on May 21 and will be somewhat limited in his overall pitch count in his return. Clevinger was starting to get on a bit of a roll on the mound before his injury, but overall he's sporting a mediocre 4.56 ERA (5.11 FIP), 1.46 WHIP, 22 walks and 40 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over nine starts.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - James Fegan

1 week agoNew York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos is serving as the club's designated hitter and is batting seventh on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays and right-hander Chris Bassitt. Vientos will be playing in just his 27th major-league game after debuting for the Mets in 2022. In 10 games so far in 2023, Vientos has gone just 5-for-26 (.192) with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored in 28 plate appearances. The 23-year-old has mostly been seeing at-bats against left-handed pitching this year, but New York is going to give him a try against a right-hander on Friday. Against right-handers in 2023, Vientos has just 15 at-bats and has three hits (one homer) and three RBI.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

1 week agoSt. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Jordan Walker is starting in right field and is batting eighth in his return to the big leagues on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Roansy Contreras. The top prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline, had a strong start to his MLB career in April before slumping and being sent to Triple-A Memphis. The 21-year-old will return to a .274 average (20-for-73) with three doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI and two stolen bases in 20 games. On the farm, he hit just .239 (27-for-113) in 29 games, but he was heating up before being called up on Friday and had six doubles, four long balls, 16 RBI and four steals. Fantasy managers will probably need to be patient, but the upside is worth it and Walker should now be rostered everywhere.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

1 week agoCincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (shoulder) is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment in Triple-A Louisville on Saturday. The veteran slugger has been sidelined all season while he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. He played in 10 rehab games in April, but was shut down due to an injury setback. The Reds don't have a timetable for Votto's return yet, but that should be coming shortly. It's great to hear that the 39-year-old is heading in the right direction now.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Mark Sheldon

1 week agoBoston Red Sox pitcher Corey Kluber has been activated from the paternity leave list on Friday. The veteran right-hander has been away from the team for the last couple of days. It appears he's ready for the weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays, but his role is unclear. The right-hander was recently demoted to the bullpen after his rough start to the season. However, the 37-year-old might be asked to take the ball for one of the games during Saturday's doubleheader. Regardless, Kluber doesn't have much fantasy appeal right now.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Alex Speier

1 week agoOakland Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Miami Marlins. This appears to be a routine rest day for Laureano, so fantasy managers don't need to panic. Seth Brown and JJ Bleday will cover the corner spots, while Esteury Ruiz plays center field versus right-hander Edward Cabrera on Friday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly with Laureano out.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

1 week agoChicago White Sox infielder Elvis Andrus (oblique) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday. The veteran infielder missed about three weeks due to an oblique strain. However, he has been activated on Friday after his recent minor league rehab assignment. The expectation is that he'll resume his normal role as the everyday second baseman in Chicago. Before the injury, Andrus was slashing .201/.280/.254 with one homer, 13 RBI and five stolen bases this season. He has a good track record throughout his career, so the expectation is that he'll bounce back at the plate. In a corresponding move, infielder Hanser Alberto has been designated for assignment.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Charlotte Knights

1 week agoMilwaukee Brewers first baseman Luke Voit has been released by the organization on Friday. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week, but will now head to free agency. The 32-year-old batted just .221/.284/.265 with zero homers and four RBI in 17 games before landing on the injured list. He has put together multiple 20-plus home run seasons, so he should be able to find another organization. Fantasy managers can use a wait-and -see approach here as his fantasy value will depend on where he lands.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Adam McCalvy

1 week agoSt. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (back) has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 30. The left-handed slugger is dealing with a lower-back contusion that he suffered during Monday's contest. Originally, the team thought it was a day-to-day issue, but they have decided to give Nootbaar some extended rest. In a corresponding move, outfielder Jordan Walker has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis. The top prospect played 19 games with the Cardinals earlier in the season before being sent down to the minors. He slashed .274/.321/.397 with two home runs and 11 RBI in those 19 contests. Fantasy managers should make sure to double check the waiver wire to see if Walker is available.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Cardinals

1 week agoThe Tampa Bay Rays acquired right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday in exchange for minor-league shortstop Alika Williams, according to a source. Stephenson had a 5.14 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 18 relief outings (14 innings) for the Reds this season. The 30-year-old has also posted an underwhelming 5.38 ERA in 76 relief appearances since the start of last year. The Rays will attempt to get something out of the former first-rounder, and if any team can turn him around, it would be Tampa. Williams, also a former first-rounder, was hitting .237 (37-for-156) with 11 doubles, a triple, five home runs, 23 RBI, three stolen bases and 21 runs scored in 42 games for Double-A Montgomery in the Rays system.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Rob Biertempfel

1 week agoToronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield went 2-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a strikeout in the team's 3-1 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. Merrifield is seeing the ball really well of late, going 18-for-46 (.391) with two doubles, a home run, five RBI and three stolen bases in 49 plate appearances in his last 13 games. The 34-year-old veteran has never been much of a power guy, but he makes a ton of contact and has speed to spare. Merrifield's recent hot stretch at the plate has raised his season slash line to .295/.345/.388 with a .733 OPS, 11 doubles, two home runs, 21 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 50 games. Keep rolling him out there in your starting lineups until he cools off.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com