2 hours agoCleveland Guardians shortstop prospect
Jose Devers filled the scoresheet on Thursday as he went 3-for-5 with two runs, a home run, two RBI, and a walk. This was another great performance by the young infielder. In his last eight games, he is riding a stellar .321/.394/.536 line with three doubles, one home run, and five RBI. This is a great sign, as the 21-year-old held a modest .229 AVG in June. Through his first 77 games at High-A Lake County, Devers has posted a .244/.305/.355 slash line. He is considered the 19th-best prospect in the Cleveland system on MLB.com and should spend most of next summer at Double-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers first baseman
Freddie Freeman (personal) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Houston Astros. The veteran slugger has reportedly left the team to deal with a family issue. It's unclear how long Freeman is going to be gone while dealing with this problem.
Cavan Biggio will take over at first base and bat seventh versus lefty
Framber Valdez on Friday. Fantasy managers should get Freeman out of their lineups ahead of first pitch.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Juan Toribio
3 hours agoCleveland Guardians first baseman
Josh Naylor is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The lefty slugger has started in 10 straight games with only five hits during that time. That being said, Naylor could use a day off to rest and recover before getting back in the lineup. In the meantime,
Jhonkensy Noel will start at first base and bat fifth versus left-hander Christopher Sanchez. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with Naylor sitting out prior to first pitch.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
3 hours agoChicago Cubs third baseman
Christopher Morel is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals. The young slugger needs to clear his head after going hitless with four strikeouts during his previous series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Morel has plenty of potential with the bat, but he hasn't put it all together yet. In his absence,
Miles Mastrobuoni will play third base and bat seventh versus right-hander
Brady Singer. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
3 hours agoKansas City Royals infielder
Maikel Garcia is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Fantasy managers shouldn't worry as this appears to be a routine rest day for Garcia. In his absence,
Nick Loftin will cover third base and bat seventh versus right-hander
Kyle Hendricks on Friday. This is a favorable matchup for Loftin but he doesn't offer great upside with the bat. Fantasy managers should be able to find better production elsewhere.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
3 hours agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Adam Mazur has been recalled to take the ball against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The 23-year-old was demoted a few weeks ago after struggling during a handful of starts with the Padres. Mazur holds an ugly 7.84 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, and 21/19 K/BB across seven starts in the big leagues. This is a tough assignment for Mazur given how strong the O's offense has been this season. Fantasy managers should look for a better streaming option ahead of Friday's game.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
3 hours agoNew York Yankees third baseman
DJ LeMahieu is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox. It's not shocking to see the 36-year-old taking a seat given how poorly he's swinging the bat.
Oswaldo Cabrera will take over at third base and bat ninth versus right-hander
Brayan Bello on Friday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with LeMahieu sitting out.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
3 hours agoChicago Cubs catcher
Christian Bethancourt has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Friday. The Cubs were in need of another catcher with
Tomas Nido (knee) heading to the injured list. Bethancourt gives the Cubs depth behind the plate but he isn't much of an upgrade with the bat. He was hitting well below .200 before being let go by the Miami Marlins in early July. The Cubs have been looking for reliable production from the catcher spot all season long. However, it's unlikely that Bethancourt is the answer to their problems. Fantasy managers can continue to ignore him with
Miguel Amaya likely getting most of the time behind the plate.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Cubs
3 hours agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the injured list on Monday. The 34-year-old has been out since late June due to a left hamstring strain. Before that, Stanton was slashing .246/.302/.492 with 18 home runs and 45 RBI in 69 games this season. The Yankees don't believe Stanton will require a rehab stint and can get back in the lineup early next week. He'll face live pitching over the weekend, so fantasy managers should get a better idea after that. For now, fantasy managers should expect Stanton to return on Monday.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Gary Phillips
3 hours agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Mike Trout (knee) underwent an MRI exam on his surgically repaired left knee and said it came back clean. Trout said some scar tissue broke up in his knee and it didn't feel right at the time when he started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday. He said he's not running right now but is days away. The 32-year-old 11-time All-Star was pulled off his rehab assignment this week and returned to LA for evaluation. It's a sigh of relief for Trout and his fantasy managers after having surgery on his meniscus earlier this year. If Trout can restart his rehab assignment sooner than later, he could be back with the Angels in mid-August. The suddenly injury-prone superstar still deserves to be stashed in all fantasy formats, but he's no longer an elite fantasy asset on one of the worst teams in baseball.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Rhett Bollinger
4 hours agoHouston Astros manager Joe Espada said that right-hander
Luis Garcia (elbow) threw a 35-pitch bullpen session before Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers and didn't have any issues. Garcia ramped up his workload on Friday after tossing 15 pitches in his previous bullpen session last Saturday. The 27-year-old continues to recover from Tommy John surgery and could be cleared to start facing live hitters soon. Eventually, he'll need to go on a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment before potentially joining the Astros' starting rotation to close out the 2024 campaign. Garcia has been a solid starter for Houston since debuting in the shortened 2020 season, but fantasy managers in mixed leagues should temper expectations once he returns on what will likely be a limited workload.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
4 hours agoHouston Astros manager Joe Espada said that right-hander
Justin Verlander (neck) will throw a bullpen session on Saturday. Verlander threw a 40-pitch bullpen session last weekend and was scheduled to throw another on Wednesday, so he's clearly getting closer to going out on a minor-league rehab assignment as he attempts to return from a neck ailment that has kept him on the 15-day injured list since June 18. If the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young winner doesn't suffer a setback on Saturday, he could be cleared to move to a rehab assignment. Verlander is no longer as dominant towards the end of his illustrious career, but he's still useful in the right matchups in most fantasy leagues when he's healthy. He's posted a 21.3% strikeout rate with a 3.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 51:17 K:BB in 10 starts (57 innings) for the 'Stros this year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
4 hours agoHouston Astros manager Joe Espada said that outfielder
Kyle Tucker (shin) is doing some work in the outfield prior to Friday's contest against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Tucker is "improving but not at the pace we would want him to." Fantasy managers have been extremely disappointed with the fact that Tucker remains on the 10-day injured list despite suffering a right-shin contusion way back in early June. While the 27-year-old left-handed slugger is expected to return before September, he's running out of time to make a significant impact in fantasy the rest of the way. Tucker continues to do baseball activities, but his final hurdle will be running the bases at full speed. When healthy, he's one of the most valuable fantasy players in the game, so he needs to remain stashed everywhere.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
4 hours agoThe Toronto Blue Jays are acquiring outfield prospect Jonathan Clase from the Seattle Mariners on Friday in exchange for right-handed reliever
Yimi Garcia, according to sources. Clase was Seattle's No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old will now have a new start in the American League East. Clase made his major-league debut with the Mariners this year and struggled to a .195/.233/.220 slash line with a double, three RBI, three steals and 14 strikeouts in 19 games played. The 5-foot-10, 150-pounder could get more run with the Jays to close out the year, making him worth a look in AL-only leagues. Despite his small frame, Clase could develop some legitimate power, but speed is going to be his primary calling card. The Dominican outfielder stole 26 bases in 59 games for Triple-A Tacoma and had 79 swipes in the minors in 2023.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
4 hours agoThe Seattle Mariners are acquiring right-handed reliever
Yimi Garcia from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, according to sources. The main return for the Blue Jays is outfield prospect Jonathan Clase. Garcia was one of the best relievers available at this year's trade deadline. The M's make another significant move after acquiring outfielder
Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. While Garcia probably won't come in and take over the closer role from
Andres Munoz in Seattle, the 33-year-old veteran remains highly valuable in fantasy leagues that count holds in 2024. The Dominican hurler went 3-0 in Toronto this year with a strong 2.70 ERA (2.64 FIP), a 0.80 WHIP, five saves, 42 strikeouts and only eight walks in 30 innings out of the bullpen. Garcia should have even more opportunities for holds for the contending M's.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
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