2 hours agoTampa Bay Rays right-hander Zack Littell will look to keep his fast start going on Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Littell has yielded just two earned runs across his first three starts of the season spanning 15 1/3 innings, striking out 15 against five walks in that time. The 28-year-old has been solid for the Rays since the club claimed him from the Red Sox last season as he tossed a 3.93 ERA in 26 outings (14 starts) with the club last season before starting this season with a 1.17 ERA, albeit alongside a 3.90 SIERA. He takes on an Angels offense that is tied for 16th with a .314 wOBA and 19th with a 23.6% K% on the young season.Source: MLB.com
2 hours agoColorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (back) has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lower-back strain. The move is retroactive to April 14 while outfielder Sean Bouchard has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his spot on the active roster. Bryant left Saturday's contest against the Blue Jays with back/rib soreness and was originally listed as day-to-day before landing on the injured list Wednesday afternoon. It's been a slow start to the season for the 2016 NL MVP who is hitting just .149 with one homer and a .528 OPS across 13 games and 55 trips to the plate.Source: MLB.com
3 hours agoColorado Rockies infielder Brendan Rodgers (illness) will remain out of the starting lineup on Wednesday. The 27-year-old was scratched from Monday's lineup due to an illness and also sat out of Tuesday's 5-0 loss as well. It's been a sluggish start to the season for Rodgers, as he's hitting just .211 without a homer alongside a .553 OPS across the first 59 trips to the plate of the season. The oft-injured infielder has largely underperformed as a former top prospect, as he has hit .262 with 32 homers and a .720 OPS across 333 career games while playing his home games in the league's most hitter-friendly venue at Coors Field in Denver.Source: MLB.com
3 hours agoSeattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Andrew Abbott. Crawford enjoyed a nice night at the plate on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with a run scored in a 3-1 win but will take a seat to begin the lefty-on-lefty matchup on Wednesday. Despite the solid night on Tuesday, it's been a tough start to the season for Crawford who is hitting just .171 with a pair of homers and a .523 OPS across his first 79 plate appearances. Interestingly, he is 6-for-20 (.300) against left-handed pitching but is hitting only .100 (6-for-50) against righties.Source: MLB.com
3 hours agoColorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (back) remains out of the lineup on Wednesday as he will miss his fourth straight game after leaving Saturday's contest against the Blue Jays with back soreness. The veteran remains day-to-day. It's been a sluggish start to the season for the 2016 NL MVP as Bryant is hitting just .149 with one homer and a 32.7% K% across his first 55 trips to the plate of the season. This comes on the heels of a .233 average with 10 homers and a career-worst 73 wRC+ across an injury-shortened 80 games in the 2023 campaign. Nolan Jones will man left field and hit sixth Wednesday against Phillies left-hander Christopher Sanchez.Source: MLB.com
4 hours agoThe Arizona Diamondbacks moved left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday. Rodriguez recently suffered a setback with his left shoulder and now won't be able to return to Arizona's starting rotation until late May. The oft-injured 31-year-old southpaw pitched well in his final season with the Detroit Tigers in 2023 but was in line for regression with his move to the desert. Now that he's been unable to stay healthy early on in 2024, fantasy baseball managers in mixed leagues should probably look for better options instead of keeping him stashed in an IL spot. The good news for the D-backs is lefty Jordan Montgomery is set to join the rotation to make his season debut later this week.Source: Arizona Diamondbacks
4 hours agoThe Arizona Diamondbacks optioned left-hander Tommy Henry and pitcher Luis Frias to Triple-A Reno on Wednesday and recalled pitchers Justin Martinez and Logan Allen from Reno in corresponding moves. Henry allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings in Tuesday's extra-inning win over the Chicago Cubs and has a 6.87 ERA and 1.80 WHIP with eight walks and 18 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings over his first four starts of the 2024 season. The 26-year-old soft-tossing southpaw will go down to the farm to work on his craft while serving as starting pitching depth for the Snakes. He has become the odd-man out in Arizona's rotation with lefty Jordan Montgomery's debut with the team coming later this week.Source: Arizona Diamondbacks
4 hours agoAtlanta Braves right-hander Darius Vines will make another start for the team on Sunday at home against the defending World Series-champion Texas Rangers. Vines earned another start in Atlanta's starting rotation after giving up just one earned run on four hits while walking three and striking out four in his season debut on April 15 against the Houston Astros in 4 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old could stick around even longer with Spencer Strider (elbow) out for the season if he looks good again this weekend. Still, fantasy managers in need of pitching depth or those looking for a streamer on Sunday should be hesitant to go all-in on Vines in the tough matchup. The Braves have plenty of other options for their rotation, so Vines is going to need to continue to impress to stick around.Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Justin Toscano
4 hours agoThe San Diego Padres placed right-hander Yu Darvish (neck) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 15) with neck tightness on Wednesday and recalled right-hander Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move. It's unclear as of now if Darvish has a realistic chance to return from the IL when he's eligible on April 30, but the 37-year-old will miss at least the next couple of weeks. San Diego's starting pitching depth will be tested in the season's first month, and it's not clear yet who the main candidates are to take Darvish's spot. In his first five starts of 2024, Darvish had posted a 4.18 ERA (3.88 FIP) and 1.27 WHIP with 10 walks and 22 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings pitched. Keep the five-time All-Star stashed in an IL spot for now in fantasy leagues.Source: San Diego Padres
4 hours agoHouston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) will make his 2024 season debut on Friday against the Washington Nationals, according to manager Joe Espada. The team's other starters will shift back a day, with Ronel Blanco going on Saturday and Cristian Javier taking the hill on Sunday. Verlander didn't pitch at all during spring training due to right-shoulder inflammation but is now ready after making a couple minor-league rehab starts and throwing a successful bullpen session on Tuesday. The 41-year-old three-time Cy Young winner didn't look particularly sharp in the minors but got up to 77 pitches in his final rehab start. Don't be surprised if the Astros have a short leash on the future Hall of Famer in his first start of the year in the big leagues this weekend.Source: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
5 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) is back behind the plate and is hitting seventh on Wednesday against left-hander Jordan Wicks and the Chicago Cubs. Moreno was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a right-thumb contusion that he picked up on a wild pitch on Monday night. However, the 24-year-old entered the game as a defensive replacement late in Tuesday's extra-inning win and is now back in the starting lineup a day later for the series finale. One of the best young catchers in the game, especially on defense, Moreno is still searching for his first home run of the year and is hitting a modest .244 (11-for-45) with six RBI and five runs scored in his first 15 games. Moreno is hitless in his two career at-bats against Wicks.Source: MLB.com
5 hours agoAfter making his season debut on Tuesday, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen will take a seat on the bench for Wednesday's contest against the division-rival New York Yankees. Jansen just returned from a fractured wrist on Tuesday, and the Blue Jays are going to ease him back into the fold behind the plate. Alejandro Kirk is doing the catching for right-hander Kevin Gausman and will hit eighth against Yankees right-hander Marcus Stroman. Jansen went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in his first start on Tuesday and could need some time before he gets going at the plate after a long layoff. Kirk has been slow out of the gates, too, going 10-for-50 (.200) with no homers and eight RBI. He has a hit in his two career at-bats against Stroman.Source: MLB.com
5 hours agoKansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (groin) is back behind the plate and is hitting cleanup for the Royals in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox and rookie right-hander Jonathan Cannon, who is making his big-league debut. A Grade 1 left-groin strain kept Perez out of Monday's lineup before Tuesday's contest was postponed. The 33-year-old's injury clearly wasn't too serious, but he'll most likely sit out for the second game of the doubleheader. The eight-time All-Star should be reinserted into all fantasy lineups now that he's active again. Perez is off to an excellent start at the plate in 2024, going 21-for-62 (.339) with four home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs scored in his first 16 games.Source: MLB.com
5 hours agoHouston Astros outfielders Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick will both start on the bench on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. Mauricio Dubon is starting in center field and is hitting seventh, while Yordan Alvarez will play left field and bat second against Braves left-hander Max Fried. Yainer Diaz is the designated hitter and is batting fifth. Meyers, who is hitting .237 (9-for-38) with two home runs and seven RBI in the early going, continues to split time in center field with Dubon. The former 13th-round pick in 2017 out of Nebraska-Lincoln is more of a glove-first player to begin with, leaving him little fantasy upside in deeper leagues. Dubon is the more attractive offensive player and is hitting .282 (11-for-39) but doesn't have a homer yet in 2024.Source: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
5 hours agoThe New York Mets are "very optimistic" that third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) will avoid the injured list after being pulled from Tuesday's game with a tight left hamstring. Baty came in on Wednesday feeling better than Tuesday night. "I think it just scared me," Baty said. He should be back in the lineup within a few days but is out on Wednesday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team has an off day on Thursday before starting a series on Friday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, so fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if Baty is feeling good enough to play. With Baty resting on Wednesday, Zack Short is starting at third base and is hitting in the nine-hole for the Mets against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter.Source: MLB.com - Anthony DiComo