5 hours agoBaltimore Orioles catching prospect
Samuel Basallo has been showcasing his elite power potential this past week and added another home run on Friday. Basallo is now up to five home runs on the season and has hit four of them in his past four games. The 19-year-old has a .256/.284/.456 stat line with two stolen bases and 14 RBI in his first full taste of Double-A. He played only four games at this level last year and spent the majority of his time with Single and High-A, hitting a combined .313/.402/.551 with 20 home runs. The 16th-ranked prospect in baseball is beginning to show his incredible power at Double-A but needs to show more consistency at the plate to reach Triple-A this summer. He should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper formats but will have a hard path to seeing relevancy in redraft this year.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 hours agoColorado Rockies outfield prospect
Braiden Ward swiped six bags on Friday evening to increase his season total to 15. Ward has now stolen at least one base in eight games this season and is emerging as one of the top baserunning threats in the minor leagues. In the batter's box, the 25-year-old has posted a solid .333/.460/.608 stat line with six doubles and four triples. Ward swiped 44 bags in High-A last season and is on pace to smash that feat. If Ward can continue to succeed at the plate, he should be promoted to Double-A this summer and could be worth keeping an eye on in dynasty leagues due to his elite speed alone.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 hours agoHouston Astros second baseman
Jose Altuve went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and stole his seventh base of the season in Friday's 5-3 win over the Mariners. The steal was No. 300 for his career, and along with his 2000+ career hits as well as a career batting average over .300, he joins some of the best names to play the game of baseball in
Derek Jeter, Paul Molitor, Willie Mays, and Roberto Alomar. Now slashing .348/.411/.576 on the season, his wRC+ of 185 is fifth-best thus far, and the 33-year-old is the top-scoring second baseman in fantasy aside from
Mookie Betts who is eligible at the position.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 hours agoKansas City Royals first baseman
Salvador Perez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 7-1 victory over the Rangers. It was the eighth time he's gone deep this season and the three RBI put him at 30, good for third-most in all of baseball. The 33-year-old is having a fantastic season thus far, slashing .351/.413/.605 with a .438 wOBA and 184 wRC+. After an 86 wRC+ season last year, the veteran has cut down his K% to a measly 10.3% and his Contact% of 83.2% is his best since 2015. The 8x All-Star has hit safely in 25 of the 32 games he's played and has 11 multi-hit efforts. Ranking behind only
William Contreras for top fantasy catcher, Perez is looking like an early AL MVP contender and probable All-Star.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 hours agoSeattle Mariners catching prospect
Harry Ford extended his hitting streak to 11 games in Friday's doubleheader. In the first game, Ford knocked a double, and in the second game, he tallied his fourth round-tripper of the season and laced another double, his eighth of the season. After tallying just one hit in his first five games at Double-A this season, Ford has posted a strong .256/.413/.488 slash line with four swiped bags and 22 total hits in 23 games. The 21-year-old has fully adjusted to Double-A pitching and could be up with Triple-A Tacoma by the end of the summer. The second overall prospect in the Seattle system and 35th overall prospect should be rostered in all dynasty leagues but will not be relevant in redraft until next season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 hours agoSeattle Mariners shortstop prospect
Cole Young launched his first Double-A home run with a grand slam on Friday evening. After hitting 11 long balls across Single and High-A last summer, it took Young 23 games to tally his first in Double-A this season. The 20-year-old has a .245/.336/.337 stat line with six stolen bases in his first month of Double-A games. Young opened the campaign with an impressive nine-game hitting streak but then tallied just five hits in his next nine games. The top prospect in the Seattle system seems to have bounced back lately, not just in power production but also in knocking six hits in his past three games. MLB Pipeline projects Young to reach the majors in 2025, but he could make a push for a late-season promotion and is well worth holding onto in dynasty leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
12 hours agoWashington Nationals outfielder
Jacob Young (back) left Friday's game early against the Toronto Blue Jays with back spasms. He's getting treatment, and the team will see how he's doing on Saturday. Young was hitting leadoff in Friday's game for the first time since April 19, going 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in the eventual 9-3 victory before departing early. If the 24-year-old continues to swing the bat well, he could find himself atop Washington's batting order more often against left-handed pitchers as a right-handed swinger. Young raised his batting average to .311 and his OPS to .732 on the year with the one-hit night. It doesn't sound like his injury is very serious, but if the back spasms linger and Young is forced to the injured list, the Nats could bring up outfield prospect
James Wood, who is hitting .314/.422/.461 at Triple-A Rochester.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
12 hours agoLos Angeles Angels starting pitcher
Jose Soriano recorded his first win of the 2024 regular season in Friday's 6-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, firing six scoreless innings on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts. The Angels gave Soriano plenty of run support on Friday, and he most notably escaped from a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning with no damage. It was a great rebound performance after Soriano was chased for four runs and couldn't get through two innings in his last appearance at home against the Minnesota Twins. With the effort, the 25-year-old right-hander now sports a decent 3.77 ERA and 1.29 WHIP while fanning 26 and walking 15 over 28 2/3 frames (seven appearances) for the Halos this year. Soriano will aim to build on this showing in Wednesday's projected start on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are scoring a pathetic 2.4 runs per game over their last 22 contests since April 9.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
12 hours agoNew York Mets third baseman
Brett Baty erupted for nine total bases in Friday's 10-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Baty homered to deep right field in the second inning to score
Jeff McNeil and
Tyrone Taylor and give the Mets a temporary 3-0 lead before going yard to right field once more in the ninth to make things interesting late. It's been an up-and-down season for Baty, but the 24-year-old former top prospect is producing a respectable .271/.340/.385 triple-slash line with three long balls, two doubles, 13 RBI, and 13 runs scored over 96 at-bats (30 games) for the Mets during his second full year in the major leagues. He's only a viable fantasy option for those in NL-only leagues, holding limited upside while batting in the lower part of New York's lineup, but Baty's certainly worth watching in all leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
12 hours agoColorado Rockies starting pitcher
Cal Quantrill silenced the Pittsburgh Pirates in Friday's 3-1 victory, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings of three-hit ball with no walks on a season-high nine strikeouts en route to his first win of the year. Although he's not known for his bat-missing stuff, Quantrill dominated Pittsburgh for his longest start of the 2024 regular season on Friday and a big bounce-back effort after surrendering six runs in his last appearance at home versus the Houston Astros. The soft-throwing 29-year-old right-hander improved his ERA to 4.31 with a 1.29 WHIP and 26:14 K:BB over 39 2/3 frames (seven starts) this season from Colorado's rotation. Despite the strong showing, Quantrill still won't be the most exciting streaming option for fantasy purposes in his next projected start on Thursday at Coors Field against the division-rival San Francisco Giants.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
12 hours agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitchers
Jeffrey Springs (elbow) and
Drew Rasmussen (elbow) are both scheduled to throw in an extended spring game around May 20. The Rays' rotation is arguably ruined by injury more than any other in baseball, but at least two of their key arms are progressing toward a return at some point later this summer. Springs is likely closer to doing so in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and barring any setbacks, he could be in line to rejoin Tampa Bay's rotation by July's All-Star break. Rasmussen, on the other hand, is a weaker stash in fantasy leagues because his return from a hybrid internal brace procedure last July is not expected to arrive until the final months of the year. Over his last three seasons (196 innings), Springs owns a 2.53 ERA (3.14 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 231:49 K:BB and can be stashed in deep competitive leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
12 hours agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher
George Kirby (knee) has been dealing with a right knee issue, manager Scott Servais said following Friday's 5-3 road loss to the division-rival Houston Astros. Servais said that it's not a major problem, but it's one that the team is monitoring. It likely explains why the M's opted to turn to their bullpen with Kirby pitching well on just 88 pitches through six innings, as the hurler had given up only one run on four hits and zero walks with three strikeouts for a no-decision on Friday. The 26-year-old right-hander's status is worth keeping an eye on ahead of his next scheduled start, which tentatively lines up for Wednesday against the surging Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Over his last four starts, Kirby holds a 1.13 ERA with a sparkling 28:2 K:BB across 24 innings, but the Twins are scoring 7.3 runs per game during their current 11-game winning streak.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Kramer - MLB.com
13 hours agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Taj Bradley (pectoral) made his second and perhaps final minor-league rehab appearance on Friday with Triple-A Durham, throwing six scoreless innings of two-hit ball on two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. After throwing 94 pitches in this outing, Bradley's next appearance could very well come with the big-league club as he enters the final stages of his recovery from a strained right pectoral. While the 23-year-old former top prospect mostly floundered during his first taste of major-league action with a 5.59 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over 23 starts during his rookie year last season, he struck out 129 batters and walked only 39 across 104 2/3 frames. If Bradley's next start comes with the Rays, he would likely be making his 2024 regular-season debut at home next Friday versus the division-rival New York Yankees, where a wait-and-see approach would be recommended from a fantasy perspective.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Eric Cross
13 hours agoMiami Marlins starting pitcher
Braxton Garrett (shoulder) is scheduled to throw six innings or 75 pitches at the club's Florida Complex League in rookie ball on Monday. Although Garrett tossed five scoreless innings of one-hit ball on 61 pitches with Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, his next appearance will not come with the major-league roster as some may have anticipated. The Marlins appear to be taking a cautious approach with Garrett, who has previously experienced "dead arm" on his way back from a left shoulder impingement. He's looking at a mid-to-late May return to Miami's rotation. Unheralded rookie
Roddery Munoz will get at least one more turn in the big-league rotation, carrying an impressive 2.45 ERA (3.77 FIP), 0.72 WHIP, and 14:3 K:BB over 11 innings (two starts), but he'll have his work cut out in his next projected start on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
13 hours agoAtlanta Braves catcher
Sean Murphy (oblique) swung off a tee in Seattle during the team's series earlier this week against the Mariners. Murphy felt good, and he's going to keep building up from there. There was originally some hope that Murphy would have been over his Grade 1 left oblique strain, which he suffered back on March 29, by early May, but there's no clear timeline for his return at this stage of his recovery. The 29-year-old All-Star backstop probably won't be back with the Braves until the mid-to-late portion of May. In Murphy's stead, former All-Star
Travis d'Arnaud has operated as Atlanta's primary catcher and is worth streaming in all fantasy formats in the meantime. d'Arnaud is slashing a robust .282/.358/.592 with five home runs, seven doubles, 16 RBI, and 12 runs scored in 81 trips to the plate (25 games) this year.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Justin Toscano - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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