14 hours agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray (groin) is expected to return shortly after his minimum stint on the 15-day injured list. Gray left his most recent start on May 21 against Philadelphia with a groin strain. The 32-year-old performed quite well through his first ten starts with a 2.21 ERA and 1.19 WHIP and tallied 56 punchouts in 57 innings. Gray currently sports an above-average 44.8% ground ball rate and 7.4% barrel rate, which suggests that his strong start to the season could be sustainable. Gray is rostered in 54% of all Yahoo leagues and is worth adding if available in your league, as he should continue to provide stable ratios and solid strikeout numbers over the course of the season.Source: Texas Rangers
14 hours agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher Jose Urena (ankle) was removed early from his start on Friday due to swelling in his right ankle. Urena was hit by a comebacker early in the game, and swelling began to increase as soon as he took the mound in the sixth inning. Texas Manager Bruce Bochy expressed that he was not concerned with the injury and that Urena would undergo further testing on Saturday. As of now, the 32-year-old should be expected to make his next start on Friday, May 31, against the Miami Marlins. Urena should only be rostered in deeper AL-only formats as he currently holds a 3.53 ERA and 1.27 WHIP and has tallied only 30 punchouts in 43 ⅓ innings this season. He should be expected to remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future but could shift to the bullpen once Max Scherzer (back), Nathan Eovaldi (groin), and Jon Gray (groin) all return from injuries.Source: Texas Rangers
14 hours agoTexas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (hamstring) tallied a hit, a run, and a walk in his first rehab game on Friday evening while serving as the designated hitter for Triple-A Round Rock. He hit three balls over 100 mph, including his single, which is a great sign. Langford is expected to rejoin the major league roster on Tuesday when the Rangers open a two-game World Series rematch as they host the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, Langford should be expected to start at least one game in the outfield before being activated off the injured list. The former number four overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft struggled through his first 31 games in the majors with a .224/.295/.293 line. Despite the slow start, the former Florida Gator should remain a lineup lock going forward and could become a very valuable fantasy asset once he finds his footing.Source: MiLB.com
14 hours agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder Jorge Soler and shortstop Macro Luciano are not in Saturday's lineup. Soler has started in every game since returning from the injured list with an injured shoulder and has performed well with a .267/.333/.467 line highlighted by a solo shot on Friday evening. Luciano has started at shortstop over the past seven games and posted a stellar .429/.500/.619 line. As a result, Patrick Bailey will serve as the designated hitter and bat third on Saturday afternoon, and Brett Wisely will serve as the shortstop and bat in the nine-hole. Bailey is worth a look in DFS as he enters Saturday with a strong .301/.352/.495 line with four long balls and two stolen bases. He will face Luis Severino, who enters Saturday with a 3.48 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.Source: San Francisco Giants
14 hours agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) tweaked his hamstring in the ninth inning on Friday evening and will be getting a day off to recover on Saturday. As a result, Wilmer Flores will play first base and bat in the fifth hole. Wade Jr. has been one of the best all-around hitters throughout the young part of the season. He is currently placed in the top 98th and 96th percentile with a .416 xwOBA and .312 xBA, respectively. In addition, he currently holds a 20.4% walk rate, which is the best in baseball. This injury does not seem serious, so Wade Jr. could rejoin the starting lineup on Sunday. Flores is probably best to fade this afternoon in DFS as he enters Saturday with a poor.215 AVG and .207 xBA as he will face Luis Severino who has allowed just one run or less in four in just under half of his starts this season.Source: Susan Slusser
15 hours agoKansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (back) is being held out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays after injuring his back on Friday night in the series opener. Massey left Friday's 8-1 win in the sixth inning with lower-back tightness and will be held out as a precaution for the second game of the series. Fantasy managers should consider the 26-year-old second baseman to be day-to-day for now. The good news is that he went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run before departing. Veteran Adam Frazier is starting at the keystone on Saturday and is hitting sixth against Rays right-hander Aaron Civale. Massey is in the midst of a fine season so far, batting .294 (30-for-102) with six home runs, 23 RBI and 17 runs scored for the upstart Royals. Check back on Sunday to see if he's in the starting lineup.Source: Kansas City Royals
15 hours agoWhen asked if relief pitcher Edwin Diaz could receive a ninth-inning opportunity on Saturday against the visiting San Francisco Giants, New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, "He's our closer." However, Mendoza also referred to Diaz as "one of our options" and said "we'll piece it together." This comes after the skipper recently said last Sunday that Diaz's bullpen role would be more "fluid" given his recent struggles. The 30-year-old flamethrower allowed a season-high four earned runs on four hits (one homer) in just one-third of an inning last weekend but struck out two in a scoreless inning on Friday against the Giants for his second hold of the year. Diaz has already blown three saves in 2024 and hasn't recorded a save since May 6, but the Mets could work him back into the role if he can settle down and stack a few more good outings together.Source: MLB.com - Anthony DiComo
15 hours agoThe Tampa Bay Rays placed outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 23) on Saturday with a right-oblique strain and reinstated right-hander Chris Devenski (knee) from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. It will be the second time this year already that Lowe has been put on the IL, and fantasy managers should expect him to miss more than 10 days given the nature of his injury. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter left Wednesday's game early against the Boston Red Sox with right-side tightness, and an MRI exam on Thursday showed a dreaded oblique strain. Lowe's power/speed upside makes him worth stashing in all fantasy formats again while he's hurt. In the meantime, the biggest beneficiary in Tampa's outfield with Lowe hurt will most likely be Jonny DeLuca.Source: Rays Communications
15 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers left-hander Jared Koenig is serving as the opener against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday for the second straight day. Koenig will be followed by starter Colin Rea this time around. Koenig joins Zack Greinke as the only Brewers pitchers to start consecutive games. In his "start" in Friday's series opener in Beantown, Koenig allowed a hit and a walk and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning before giving way to right-hander Bryse Wilson. The 30-year-old southpaw won't go very long again in Saturday's contest and isn't a realistic fantasy streaming option. Rea, meanwhile, will still be worth considering as a deep-league streamer despite not actually starting this game. In his nine starts for the Brew Crew this year, he's gone 3-2 with a solid 4.07 ERA (4.67 FIP) and 1.39 WHIP while walking 17 and striking out 35 in 48 2/3 innings.Source: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
15 hours agoThe Chicago White Sox reinstated rookie infielder Bryan Ramos (quadriceps) from the 10-day injured list on Saturday and optioned outfielder Zach DeLoach to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move. Ramos, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is starting at third base and is batting sixth for the White Sox in his return from the IL on Saturday against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Albert Suarez. The 22-year-old is returning from a mild left-quadriceps strain and should continue to play regularly moving forward for the rebuilding White Sox. In his first 10 contests in the big leagues, the Cuban infielder has held his own, going 9-for-32 (.281), although he has yet to hit his first home run. In two minor-league rehab starts with Charlotte, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two walks.Source: Chicago White Sox
15 hours agoBaltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins and infielder Jorge Mateo are both sitting out of the lineup on Saturday against the Chicago White Sox. Kyle Stowers will draw into the lineup in left field and will hit eighth, while Ramon Urias will play third base and bat ninth against White Sox right-hander Erick Fedde. Rookie Colton Cowser shifts over to center field and will hit sixth in the batting order. Mullins' fantasy stock continues to fall after going hitless on Friday to drop his season line to .195/.242/.336, although he does have six home runs, 20 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 149 at-bats for the O's. Stowers has only played in seven games in his third big-league season in 2024 and has gone 2-for-8 with an RBI and three strikeouts. He represents a low-upside DFS option near the bottom of the Baltimore batting order on Saturday.Source: Baltimore Orioles
15 hours agoToronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen is taking the day off on Saturday in Detroit with the team taking on the Tigers. With Jansen riding the pine, Alejandro Kirk will step in to catch right-hander Jose Berrios while batting sixth against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. Jansen got a late start to the 2024 season due to injury, but he didn't let the late start get to him, as he's currently hitting .313 (25-for-80) with five home runs, 13 RBI and 16 runs as he shares playing time with Kirk at catcher in Toronto. He has 18 hits in 54 at-bats (.333 average) in the month of May with three homers and 11 RBI. Kirk, meanwhile, hasn't been nearly as reliable for fantasy managers with a .207/.297/.287 slash line with just one long ball and 13 RBI in his 87 at-bats.Source: Toronto Blue Jays
15 hours agoDetroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson is not in the team's starting lineup on Saturday versus the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Mark Canha will get the start at first base for Detroit and will bat third in the lineup against Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios. Torkelson is due for a day off after going hitless in 16 at-bats in his last five games to drop his season line to .207/.279/.330. The former first overall pick in 2020 out of Arizona State also has homered just three times in 188 at-bats so far this year while driving in 17 and scoring 21 runs for the Tigers. In the month of May, he's gone 15-for-77 (.195) with all three of his homers, six RBI and 18 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances over 21 games. Canha does have a solo homer in seven career at-bats against Berrios and could be a DFS sleeper despite his .226 average (37-for-164) in 2024.Source: MLB.com
17 hours agoCleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 10-4 win over the Angels. The home run was Naylor's 13th of the season, and with his career-high Barrel% of 11.6% he's on pace to eclipse his career-high home run mark of 20 set in 2022. The former first-round draft pick got off to a hot start this season, slashing .321/.387/.605 over his first 22 games but has gone cold the past month despite continuing to hit home runs, slashing just .183/.294/.441 over the last 26 games. Still, overall he's having a solid season, collecting 35 RBI and 27 runs scored with a .358 wOBA and 135 wRC+.Source: ESPN
18 hours agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 10-4 loss to the Guardians. The 435-foot blast was Adell's 10th of the year and sixth in his last 14 games, however, it seems he's traded power for average. The 25-year-old hit .327 in April with four home runs, but just .169 in May with six long balls. While Adell has improved his strikeout rates considerably over years past, the former first-round draft pick has had at least one strikeout in 13 straight games and is striking out at a 28.4% rate in May, as compared to 20.7% in April. Hopefully he can maintain his power-hitting going forward and start hitting for average again too, as he was looking like a fantastic early-season waiver pickup.Source: ESPN