18 hours agoBaltimore Orioles catcher
Adley Rutschman is not in the team's starting lineup on Sunday against the visiting Seattle Mariners.
James McCann will do the catching for right-hander
Corbin Burnes and will hit ninth against Mariners right-hander
George Kirby. It's just a normal day off for the 26-year-old backstop in the series finale against Seattle. Rutschman is hitting .283 (17-for-60) with five home runs and 10 RBI in 14 games so far in the month of May and is hitting over .300 on the year with nine long balls, 28 RBI and 26 runs scored in 178 total at-bats. Rutschman is one of the best offensive-minded catchers in the game in one of the stronger lineups in baseball. McCann is hitting .215 (14-for-65) with a homer and seven RBI on the year as the backup and has never faced Burnes in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
18 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals shortstop
Masyn Winn and second baseman
Nolan Gorman are both getting a breather on Sunday against the visiting Boston Red Sox. Winn will take a seat while currently riding an eight-game hitting streak that has
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18 hours agoTampa Bay Rays relief pitcher
Colin Poche (back) has resumed baseball activities, but it's still uncertain how long he's going to be sidelined. The left-hander landed on the injured list in late April due to back tightness. He received an injection in his back and needed a second cortisone-type shot in early May. The fact the Rays went out and acquired left-hander
Richard Lovelady suggests that Poche won't be ready anytime soon. Peter Fairbanks,
Garrett Cleavinger, and
Jason Adam figure to be the primary late game options for the Rays right now.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
19 hours agoHouston Astros starting pitcher
Jose Urquidy (forearm) made his second minor league rehab start on Saturday. The right-hander got smacked around for three runs in 2 2/3 innings during his start last weekend. He didn't do much better this time around allowing four runs on seven hits over four innings of work. The good news is that Urquidy feels better and says his velocity should increase during his next start. The right-hander should be able to return to the Astros rotation in late May or early June.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
19 hours agoHouston Astros starting pitcher
Luis Garcia (elbow) was able to throw a successful bullpen session on Saturday. The right-hander is working his way back from Tommy John surgery he underwent in May of last year. The team has been taking it slow, but Garcia was able to throw 20 pitches on Saturday without any issues. The hope is that Garcia can continue throwing and will eventually go on a minor-league rehab assignment. The expectation is that Garcia will be able to rejoin the Astros' rotation mid-way through the season.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
19 hours agoSan Francisco Giants shortstop
Marco Luciano put together a solid performance against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. The 22-year-old was recalled on Tuesday with the team being shorthanded in the infield. He made the most of his chances on Saturday, going 2-for-4 in the win. The expectation is that Luciano is going to get significant at-bats with
Nick Ahmed (wrist) still on the injured list. Luciano should get plenty of chances to show what he can do at the big league level.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
19 hours agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder
Heliot Ramos continued his hot stretch at the plate during Saturday's game against the Colorado Rockies. Ramos went 2-for-5 with two RBI in the blowout win. The 24-year-old has been impressive since getting called up a few weeks ago. So far, Ramos is slashing .297/.350/.378 with 11 hits and seven RBI in 37 plate appearances. The expectation is that both Ramos and
Luis Matos are going to see more playing time with
Jung Hoo Lee (shoulder) being out for the season. Ramos could be worth a look as a pickup in deeper leagues.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
20 hours agoChase Elliott will start 15th in Sunday's All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. After a disappointing 2023, a season in which Elliott was forced to miss significant time due to an injury he sustained snowboarding, the second-generation Cup driver has had quite the bounce back in 2024. Entering
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20 hours agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Taylor Ward went 2-for-6 in Saturday's 3-2 extra-innings loss to the Rangers. Both of Ward's hits went for extra bases, one for a double and the other a solo home run. The home run was his tenth of the year, and the 30-year-old is looking like one of the better values in fantasy drafts this year after having an ADP in the 200s. On the season, the former first-round MLB draft pick has a .275-10-28-27-2 line with a .352 wOBA and 127 wRC+.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
20 hours agoTampa Bay Rays right-hander
Ryan Pepiot (leg) threw a three-inning bullpen session on Friday. He has now completed successful three successful bullpen sessions over the week. The 26-year-old was placed on the 15-day injured list after getting struck by a line drive in his last start on May 5 against the New York Mets. He owns a 3.68 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts across 36 2/3 innings this season. Pepiot is on track to be activated next week ahead of the three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. Fantasy managers might want to see how Pepiot performs if he is activated next week before inserting him into their starting lineups. Pepiot is off to a solid start and is a mid-to-back-end starter for most fantasy rotations in 2024.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: MLB
21 hours agoTexas Rangers outfielder
Adolis Garcia launched his eleventh home run of the season in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Angels. Angels starter
Patrick Sandoval had held Garcia and the Rangers in check until the sixth inning when the 31-year-old took the southpaw deep to knot the score at 1-1. It was the 2x All-Star's third home run in his last four games, but despite the power surge, he's having a rough May, slashing just .188/.216/.348 during the month. On the season, the powerful righty has a .251-11-35-24-4 line with a .337 wOBA and 117 wRC+.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
21 hours agoKyle Busch will start 14th in Sunday's All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Entering All-Star weekend, Busch has three top-10 finishes over the last five races, which shows that there is some momentum trending his way. However, despite some recent success, don't look for that trend to continue this weekend, as the 39-year-old has struggled on short tracks since making the switch to Richard Childress Racing last season. In the nine races on tracks that are less than a mile in length (exhibition races excluded), KFB has just one top-10 finish, with an average overall finish of just 19.8. Even more alarming is how badly the former 2x Cup champion struggled in this race, on this track, last season. After starting 14th in the 2023 All-Star Race, Busch finished 22nd, which was third to last. Given his recent struggles on short tracks and the struggles he had on this track in particular, it is recommended that you limit your exposure to the No. 8 this weekend in DFS.
--Adam Erhardt - RotoBallerSource: Racing-Reference.info
21 hours agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Jo Adell hit his eighth home run of the season in Saturday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Rangers. The homer was a solo shot and Adell's only hit in the contest, although he also walked twice and stole a base. The 25-year-old has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, including four home runs, but is hitting just .250 during that stretch and on the season. Still, it's easily his most prolific offensive season yet as he is slashing .250/.320/.528 with a .364 wOBA and 136 wRC+. Contact% and Barrel% are by far career highs and the K% (24.4%) is finally at a palatable level. The former first-round MLB draft pick is making the most of his regular playing time and hopefully he can keep it up.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
21 hours agoColorado Rockies first baseman
Kris Bryant (back) will remain with Triple-A Albuquerque on a rehab assignment through Sunday. He will make his fifth appearance in Triple-A on Sunday and is expected to join the Rockies for their three-game series against the Oakland A's, starting on Tuesday. The 31-year-old has been sidelined for over a month due to a lower back strain. He struggled to start the season, slashing .149/.273/.255 over 13 games before being placed on the injured list. The veteran has been unable to stay healthy and hasn't played 100 games or more since 2021. Fantasy managers might want to see how Bryant performs before activating him to their starting lineups. Still, the former Chicago Cub is mainly an option in deep-league formats for now until he turns it around at the plate.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: MLB
21 hours agoBaltimore Orioles reliever
Yennier Cano took the loss in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners. The 30-year-old entered the game in the eighth with the game tied at 2-2 but allowed a leadoff single and then a double that plated one run, then was lifted from the game after recording the first out.
Cionel Perez gave up a double that allowed Cano's runner to score and the O's would be down 4-2, unable to complete a comeback after that. Cano has been mostly solid, posting a 2.95 ERA while recording 10 holds and two saves on the season, although the 1.36 WHIP could use some improving and he's blown two saves.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
21 hours agoTampa Bay Rays first baseman
Yandy Diaz was 3-for-3 with two walks and a run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. Since May 3, the 32-year-old is 23-for-60 (.365) with four doubles, two home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, and a 7:8 BB:K, seeing his season average go from .211 to .263 in the process. So far, it's not the type of season we're used to seeing from him over the last couple of seasons but perhaps this is the beginning of breakout. The 2023 All-Star and AL batting champ is still making great contact (89.5% Contact%) and hitting the ball with authority (50.3% HardHit%).
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
22 hours agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Nolan Jones (back) is expected to be recalled from his rehab assignment after Sunday's game with Triple-A Albuquerque. Jones will make his fourth appearance with Triple-A on Sunday and rejoin the Rockies ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. The 26-year-old has been sidelined since late April with a lower back strain. He has struggled so this season, slashing .170/.240/.243 with a home run and seven RBI over 26 games. Jones still has plenty of fantasy upside after hitting 20 home runs and stealing 20 bags in 2023. When activated, fantasy managers might want to wait a few games to see how Jones performs before putting him back into their starting lineups.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: MLB
22 hours agoSan Francisco Giants designated hitter
Jorge Soler went 3-for-5 in Saturday's 14-4 win over the Rockies, including a pair of doubles. The slugger also drove in two runs and scored once. It's worth noting that Soler was penciled into the leadoff spot in both games since coming off the IL, and has gone 4-for-9 (.444) with a walk in those two contests. Shaking things up might just be what Soler needs, as it has been an underwhelming season so far, slashing .219/.308/.383 with five home runs, 10 RBI, and 16 runs scored over 146 plate appearances. He'll get a chance to make it a three-game hit streak on Sunday as the Giants face
Dakota Hudson, who has an ugly 6.13 ERA on the season and Soler is 3-for-9 with a double and four walks against in his career.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
23 hours agoRicky Stenhouse Jr. will begin the Sunday night NASCAR All-Star Race from the 16th position. The JTG Daugherty Racing driver has had a disastrous time on short tracks this season (33rd at Bristol and Richmond, 29th at Martinsville). Worse, the No. 47 Chevy has two Top 10 results but both are on superspeedway style tracks. Lap averages were especially less than stellar as Stenhouse Jr. was only faster than Timmy Hill. That 19.202 second overall was slower than Kevin Harvick (now retired) who piloted the Kyle Larson car on Saturday. Simply, Stenhouse Jr. figures to enjoy the race with limited place differential.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
23 hours agoMichael McDowell will begin ninth on Sunday night at the NASCAR All-Star Race. The Front Row Motorsports driver was 25th in the practice session and saw something subtle speed changes. The No. 34 Ford turned in an overall lap that was slower than his 30-lap interval (18.93 seconds). McDowell on short tracks has not been the best posting a 21st at Martinsville and 26th at Richmond. The chances this Ford begins to slide as the laps mount. Even with wheel changes, McDowell figures to lose track positioning to faster cars on Sunday night.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
23 hours agoAJ Allmendinger will start tenth for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro on Sunday night. That is the good news. The bad news for the Kaulig Racing driver is those practice laps. Allmendinger was part of the 19-second club. With the No. 16 Chevy turning in an overall 19.055 seconds, that is a major concern. His five-lap interval came in at 18.589 seconds which was good. However, it was the long-run speed that should trouble any DFS players or sports bettors. The 0.625-mile track is asymmetrical with 13-degree banked turns that favor short-track drivers. Allmendinger's Chevy may not be suited for this track.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
1 day agoAlthough Daniel Suárez delivered one of the season's greatest highlights in his Atlanta win, he has not had the performance of a winner in most other events, and don't expect that to change in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. Suárez enters the event as the second-slowest eligible driver on all tracks as well as on short tracks this year (only Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was slower) and Trackhouse Racing has not seemed to figure out short tracks well for the most part as Suárez's teammate Ross Chastain has not been particularly fast on them either. Although Suárez did qualify fourth this year and won the pole and actually led 55 laps in last year's race, both his speed and performance have not been there on short tracks this year (his best short track finish this year is 18th) and it's hard to envision that changing.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoPerhaps surprisingly, Brad Keselowski has never won the NASCAR All-Star Race, but he has a very real chance to change that in this evening's event. Keselowski qualified second at North Wilkesboro and enters on something of a hot streak after winning at Darlington shortly after back-to-back second-place finishes at Talladega and Texas. Although the polesitter, Joey Logano, has been faster on short tracks this year than Keselowski, Logano tends to fade after winning the pole while most of the other top-10 starters have not had great short track speed this year. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson's Indy 500 qualifying will probably prove too much of a distraction for him to win and most of the other favorites are starting in the back at a track where passing is nary impossible in the dry. Although the Toyotas are probably most likely to win, don't be surprised if Keselowski erases his goose-egg tonight.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoRoss Chastain qualified seventh for the All-Star Race, but don't expect him to be a contender, as short tracks are generally Chastain's Achilles' heel. Chastain only ranks 17th in short track speed this year and he was even worse last year when he ranked 23rd even though the Trackhouse Racing cars seemed to be a little faster last year than they are this year. Chastain only finished 11th in last year's All-Star Race and he finished either 14th or 15th in all three points short track races as well as the Clash at the Coliseum. Together, all of this seems to suggest that even a top 10 will likely be a longshot for him, but he'd probably be a significant contender to win the race if the All-Star Race ever returns to an intermediate track, where it was usually held before.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoChris Buescher qualified fifth for tonight's All-Star Race, but he probably isn't one of the favorites to win. Last year, Buescher qualified second but never led and fell to 16th a lap down by race's end. Although he did get two top ten finishes at Bristol and Richmond, he didn't seriously contend in either of those races, not to mention that he failed to qualify for the Clash at the Coliseum, the other short track exhibition race, all three years it was held. Historically, Buescher has been a very consistent and risk-averse driver, which doesn't bode well for race formats that incentivize aggressive driving. However, Buescher seemed to move up a notch in aggression in just the last two weeks and has built up an intensity that didn't seem to be there before. Perhaps he now finally has the sort of mindset conducive to success in an all-star event.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoDefending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney qualified last for this evening's NASCAR All-Star Race, twenty seconds slower than his teammate Joey Logano, who won the pole. Although he has won the race once before, the race was held at Texas Motor Speedway that year. Blaney finished sixth in last year's event but was not really a contender in a race that Kyle Larson single-handedly dominated. Although the Penske cars have not had great speed in 2024, Blaney has performed solidly on short tracks this year, ranking eighth on that track type in speed, winning a pole at Bristol, and scoring a top five at Martinsville. Blaney will likely drive up through the pack to some extent, but his odds of winning seem impenetrably remote.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoCleveland Guardians outfielder
Tyler Freeman had four hits during Saturday's 11-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. The leadoff hitter scored three times, drove in three runs, and added his sixth stolen base this season. Freeman recorded only his fourth multi-hit game, and while Saturday was remarkable, remember that Freeman is hitting .221 with four homers and 16 RBI while sporting a paltry .693 OPS. Freeman's excellent performance is a one-off that should be taken as such and is mainly a fantasy option in deep-league formats.
--Brandon Williams - RotoBallerSource: Bally Sports Cleveland
1 day agoMilwaukee Brewers catcher
William Contreras' three-run homer off Houston Astros starting pitcher
Justin Verlander proved to be the game-winning hit in Saturday's 4-2 win. Contreras battled Verlander for 12 pitches before the 13th pitch in the at-bat, which resulted in his seventh homer of the season. He enters Sunday's play second in the majors with a .350 batting average, while his 37 RBI has him tied for third in what has become a breakout campaign. Contreras is one of the top catchers in fantasy baseball and managers should continue to roll with him in all league formats.
--Brandon Williams - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
1 day agoSan Francisco Giants third baseman
Matt Chapman went 4-for-4 with two doubles, four runs, and a stolen base in Saturday's 14-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. He doubled twice and singled twice as part of his second career four-hit day. The 31-year-old also swiped his fifth bag of the season. He is starting to heat up and is 7-for-8 with four doubles, four runs, an RBI, and a stolen base over his last two games. Overall, Chapman is slashing .232/.296/.388 with five home runs, 20 RBI, 29 runs, and five stolen bases over 46 games in 2024. Chapman will look to continue his hot hitting in the series finale against the Rockies and makes an excellent daily streamer or DFS option for Sunday's state.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: MLB
1 day agoMilwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Megill picked up his sixth save of the season in Saturday's 4-2 win at the Houston Astros, striking out three of the four batters he faced. He threw 16 pitches, landing 12 for strikes. Megill lowered his ERA to 1.54 and has not allowed a run in five of his last six outings. Overall, the 30-year-old owns a 1.54 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a 13:3 K: BB across 11 2/3 innings in 2024. Megill continues to fly under the radar and will continue to be Milwaukee's primary closer, while Devin Williams (back) is sidelined. --Brandon Williams - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
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