3 hours agoKansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (leg) exited Tuesday's game against the division-rival Minnesota Twins with an apparent injury to his foot or lower leg. Pasquantino collided with Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, who was trying to beat out an infield single in the third inning, and he gingerly walked off the field. Freddy Fermin came into catch, with Salvador Perez shifting over to first base to replace Pasquantino. The Royals will further evaluate Pasquantino and provide an official diagnosis sometime either during or after Tuesday's contest. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger has put together an up-and-down season, slashing a pedestrian .224/.307/.388 with five home runs, 33 RBI, and 25 runs scored over 53 games (183 at-bats) as KC's everyday No. 3 batter.Source: Bobby Nightengale - Minneapolis Star Tribune
4 hours agoBaltimore Orioles catching prospect Creed Willems has been showcasing his elite raw power once again this season at High-A and could be joining Double-A in the coming months. Through the first 38 games, the 20-year-old is riding a .227/.299/.500 with nine long balls and seven doubles. He is on pace to smash his previous season-high of 17 home runs he set across Single and High-A last summer. While his power is worth paying attention to, he still needs to continue to lower his strikeout rate if he wants to reach Double-A this summer. Last season, he posted a hefty 27.7% K rate at High-A, and this season, it has dropped slightly to a 21.0% K rate. Nonetheless, the young backstop is still several seasons away from a major league debut and should remain on all waiver wires for the foreseeable future.Source: MiLB.com
4 hours agoNew York Mets outfield prospect Alex Ramirez is on pace to smash his previous career-high in stolen bases this season. Currently, through 39 games with Double-A, the 21-year-old has already stolen 19 bases. His previous season-high was 21 swiped bags in 2022. In the batter's box he has posted a solid .247/.318/.351 line with two long balls and 22 RBI. MLB Pipeline ranks the outfielder as the number 16 prospect in Queens and projects him to reach the majors sometime next season. Dynasty managers should continue to monitor Ramirez as he is developing into one of the best base stealers in the minor leagues.Source: MiLB.com
4 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks starting pitching prospect Spencer Giesting has been nearly unhittable at High-A this season and is nearing a promotion to Double-A. In seven starts (41 innings), he has posted a 0.66 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and 10:46 BB:K ratio. This is a significant improvement over his 4.00 ERA and 1.46 WHIP he held across 117 innings at High-A last summer. In his most recent outing, the 22-year-old tallied a season-high 13 punchouts across seven shutout innings. Giesting should be left on all waiver wires for now, but he could be worth stashing towards the end of the summer in dynasty leagues if he carries this momentum into Double-A.Source: MiLB.com
4 hours agoCleveland Guardians pitching prospect Andrew Walters is moving up to Triple-A after logging just 20 innings with Double-A. This was his first season in the minor leagues, and he is already fast approaching his major league debut. Walters operated exclusively as a relief pitcher for Double-A Akron this season, posting a stellar 1.35 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 8:38 BB:K ratio, and tallied two saves. The 2023 draft pick allowed just three earned runs this season and posted 15 shutout innings. Walters is ranked as the number 24 prospect in the Cleveland system on MLB Pipeline and could eventually grow into a closer role in the major leagues down the road.Source: Leah Doherty
5 hours agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitching prospect Brandon Young was promoted to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday. Young performed well in his third stint at Double-A this season and will now look to carry the momentum into his Triple-A debut. This season, Young made six starts and logged a 4.09 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a stellar 4:36 BB:K ratio. The 25-year-old has made significant strides in improving his walk rate over the course of the previous two seasons. In 2021, he posted a 15:54 BB:K ratio at Single-A and even a 6:23 ratio last summer at Double-A. He posted a career-best K-BB% of 36.4% at Double-A through the first month of the season and looks to have taken a large step forward. Dynasty managers should continue to monitor him to see if he continues to show strong command with Norfolk.Source: Bowie Baysox
5 hours agoThe Toronto Blue Jays reinstated right-hander Chad Green (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday and optioned right-hander Erik Swanson to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. Green will be available out of the bullpen for Toronto for Tuesday night's game in Chicago against the White Sox for the first time since being put on the injured list in mid-April with a right-shoulder strain. The 33-year-old veteran tossed three scoreless innings on a minor-league rehab start with Buffalo and should be ready to immediately jump into his late-inning setup role in front of closer Jordan Romano. Green is valuable in holds leagues and as a handcuff to Romano. Swanson has come apart in 2024 and will look for answers on the farm. The 30-year-old has allowed 14 earned runs on 20 hits (five homers) while walking four and fanning 10 in 13 2/3 relief innings in 2024.Source: Toronto Blue Jays
5 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that right-hander Merrill Kelly (shoulder) is expected to start his throwing program next week. It's positive news for Kelly, but he still has a ways to go while recovering from a right-shoulder strain and may not make it back to Arizona's starting rotation until around the All-Star break in mid-July. Before going on a minor-league rehab assignment, the 35-year-old veteran needs to build his arm back up and throw off the mound at least a handful of times. Based on the way Kelly had looked early in 2024 before going on the shelf, he should be stashed in most fantasy leagues until he returns to fully healthy. Kelly is currently 2-0 this year with a 2.19 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 21 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings over his four starts.Source: The Arizona Republic - Theo Mackie
5 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that the team is planning to get shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (knee) into live games "very, very shortly" as he continues his rehab process. Perdomo has taken live at-bats but hasn't run the bases yet. Once the 24-year-old shortstop is cleared to go on a minor-league rehab assignment, he might not be far away from being reinstated from the injured list to rejoin Arizona's big-league roster. Still, fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to return until the calendar flips to June. When he's back in the desert, Perdomo should take over regular duties at the 6 for the D-backs. He was hitting .250 (6-for-24) with no homers and two RBI at the time of his injury in early April. Kevin Newman and Blaze Alexander have seen playing time at shortstop since Perdomo went down. Perdomo will first start playing in live games in the Arizona Complex League before likely going on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno.Source: The Arizona Republic - Theo Mackie
5 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) was seen playing catch on Tuesday before the team's game against the visiting division-rival Chicago Cubs. Woodruff has already declared himself out for all of the 2024 season after he had surgery to fix the anterior capsule in his right shoulder, but it's good news to hear that he's already started a throwing program. Despite having surgery last fall, the Brewers signed the 31-year-old veteran to a two-year, $7.5 million deal. Barring a setback as he ramps up his throwing program, Woodruff should start throwing off a mound at some point this summer as he looks to be full-go for spring training next year. When healthy, Woodruff is a high-end fantasy starter in all formats. In 11 starts before he was shut down last year, he went 5-1 with a stingy 2.28 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 15 walks and 74 K's in 11 starts (67 frames).Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Curt Hogg
5 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (hamstring) was running on the field on Tuesday and has some more strides to make in that area literally and figuratively, but it's not out of the question that he is activated from the injured list in time for a return to Philadelphia next week to face the Phillies, according to manager Pat Murphy. The Brew Crew starts a three-game series in Philly next Monday night. The 31-year-old Hoskins will return to regular duties at first base for the Brewers when he's ready to return from a strained right hamstring that landed him on the injured list on May 14. The former fifth-round pick by the Phillies in 2014 out of Sacramento State missed all of last year due to a torn ACL that he suffered in spring training with the Phils. He was hitting .233/.340/.474 with an .813 OPS, nine home runs and 27 RBI in 133 at-bats before his injury.Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Curt Hogg
5 hours agoBoston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill (knee) was sent back to Boston to get more imaging done on his right knee on Wednesday, which means that he won't be available for fantasy managers for the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. It remains to be seen if O'Neill will be ready to play on Thursday for the start of a series versus the visiting Detroit Tigers. Manager Alex Cora said the additional tests are more for reassurance than the team fearing anything is significantly wrong with O'Neill, but it opens up more of a possibility that the 28-year-old will be forced to go on the injured list. O'Neill was forced to miss his third straight game with his knee injury and has slowed down at the plate since a hot month of April. If he's forced to miss more time going into the weekend, it will only benefit Rob Refsnyder, who has been swinging a hot bat in 2024 in limited action.Source: MLB.com - Ian Browne
6 hours agoCleveland Guardians outfield prospect Chase DeLauter (foot) is set to return to the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game for Double-A Akron. The 22-year-old top prospect was able to avoid surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot. However, DeLauter still missed nearly a month of action due to the injury. DeLauter has been looking like a star and should make it to the big leagues at some point next season. He is the team's top prospect, per MLB Pipeline.Source: Sam Dykstra
6 hours agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (thumb) is scheduled to throw a "full" bullpen session on Wednesday. This seems like good news after the veteran right-hander was pulled off a rehab assignment earlier this month due to a nerve issue. The hope is that Scherzer can ramp up his activities and start a rehab assignment in early June. There is no current timetable for Scherzer, but at least this sounds like Scherzer is headed in the right direction.Source: Evan Grant
6 hours agoTexas Rangers rookie outfielder Evan Carter (back) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday. The Rangers will basically swap outfielders with Wyatt Langford (hamstring) coming on the injured list on Tuesday. Carter was struggling heavily at the plate, so some time off could be a good idea for him. The 21-year-old was in the middle of an 0-for-21 hitless streak before going down due to back tightness. The assumption is that Langford is going to gain a majority of the playing time.Source: Evan Grant