6 hours agoSan Diego Padres relief pitcher
Jeremiah Estrada struck out the side against Miami on Tuesday night to extend his strikeout streak to 13 straight, a streak which remains active. This breaks the modern MLB record by
Jose Alvarado, which dates back to 1961 when complete play-by-play data became reliable. Estrada has established himself as one of the best relievers in baseball, ascending far from his being a waiver claim back in November. A stellar fastball, splitter, and slider form an overwhelming arsenal that he commands well. Only he and
Mason Miller have K-BB rates above 40% among 261 relievers (min. 10 IP). Fantasy teams seeking strikeouts and ratio help would be wise to scoop up Estrada, who is currently rostered in 22% of Yahoo leagues, even if
Robert Suarez is locked in as San Diego's closer.
--Nick Mariano - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 hours agoNew York Yankees outfield prospect
Jasson Dominguez (elbow) played five innings in center field on Wednesday with Double-A Somerset, his first time playing the field on his minor-league rehab assignment after serving as the designated hitter the first two weeks. In his 10 rehab games with Somerset and Single-A Tampa, Dominguez has gone 12-for-39 (.308) with two home runs and six RBI as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery last September. The Yankees aren't going to rush the 21-year-old back to the big leagues, though, with manager Aaron Boone already saying that Dominguez will be sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when his rehab window is up. Eventually, the guy they call the Martian is expected to be the starting center fielder in the Bronx in the long term, and he has tons of fantasy upside.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Greg Joyce
7 hours agoMajor League Baseball has made the decision to include statistics of more than 2,300 Negro League players into their record books, which means that several major-league records are now held by Josh Gibson. The new MLB.com database will have records from seven different Negro Leagues from 1920-48 with longstanding American League and National League records. Gibson is now the big-league leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb's .367 average. Gibson has also become the career leader in slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177), moving ahead of Babe Ruth (.690 and 1.164). "It's a show of respect for great players who performed in the Negro Leagues due to circumstances beyond their control and once those circumstances changed demonstrated that they were truly major leaguers," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB
7 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever
Keynan Middleton (forearm) is headed for further testing on his forearm and could need UCL replacement or repair surgery on his right arm. It would be a tough blow for Middleton and the Cardinals after the free-agent signee was expected to be an integral piece of the team's bullpen this year. Middleton has yet to pitch in 2024 because of persistent pain in his arm. The 30-year-old is set to undergo an MRI exam on Friday, so we should know more then on whether he'll have to miss all of the 2024 season. He signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Cardinals in free agency back in February. If Middleton needs to go under the knife, not only would he miss all of this year, but he probably wouldn't be ready to go for the start of the 2025 season, either.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - John Denton
7 hours agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfielders
Brandon Marsh and
Johan Rojas will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants with left-hander
Kyle Harrison on the mound. With Marsh getting a breather, utility man
Whit Merrifield will make the start in left field and will bat seventh against Harrison, who he has never faced in his career.
Cristian Pache is in center field and is batting ninth. The lefty-hitting Marsh has really struggled in limited at-bats against lefties in 2024, going 5-for-36 (.139) with no homers and 18 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances compared to a .297 average (35-for-118) with all six of his long balls against righties. Merrifield does have both of his long balls in 2024 off of lefties, but he's also hitting just .181 (17-for-94) on the year with just four RBI and six stolen bases in 29 games played.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Philadelphia Phillies
7 hours agoThe Philadelphia Phillies are resting catcher
J.T. Realmuto for their matinee game on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. With Realmuto getting a day of rest,
Garrett Stubbs will do the catching and bat eighth against Giants left-hander
Kyle Harrison. Realmuto is currently riding an impressive 17-game hitting streak, going 26-for-74 (.351) during that span with two home runs, five doubles, a triple, six RBI, four walks and 16 strikeouts in 78 plate appearances to raise his season slash line to .284/.327/.454 with a .780 OPS, seven home runs and 20 RBI in 196 plate appearances. The 33-year-old All-Star remains one of the best hitting catchers in baseball. Stubbs has only six hits in his 43 at-bats this year as Realmuto's backup and should be avoided in DFS lineups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 hours agoNew York Mets outfielder
Brandon Nimmo is taking a seat for Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers with a left-handed pitcher on the bump. As a result,
Tyrone Taylor will get the start in left field and will bat sixth in the order against Dodgers southpaw
James Paxton. Nimmo has struggled this year so far to a .215 batting average (40-for-186), but he has still provided a solid on-base percentage (.357) while taking 33 walks in 227 plate appearances. He's gone 10-for-47 (.213) against lefties with two of his seven home runs on the year. Taylor's calling card is his speed and defense in the outfield for the Mets. He's currently batting .234/.259/.336 with two homers, 16 RBI and six stolen bases in 107 at-bats for New York. Taylor has never faced Paxton in his career and has only seven hits in 40 at-bats against lefties in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 hours agoTexas Rangers right-hander
Jose Urena (ankle, foot) said all is good with his left ankle/foot after he was hit by a comebacker in his last start on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. Urena will be good to make his next scheduled start on Friday for the start of a series against his old team, the Miami Marlins. The 32-year-old veteran shouldn't be facing any pitch-count limitations on Friday in what is one of the better matchups a pitcher could ask for, so fantasy managers shouldn't overlook Urena as a streaming option. Urena has been surprisingly solid in his four starts for the Rangers and is 1-4 overall with a 3.53 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 30 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings over 14 outings (four starts). However, with
Nathan Eovaldi back and
Jon Gray (groin) potentially returning from the injured list next week, Urena could move back to the bullpen after his start on Friday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: RangersToday.com - Jeff Wilson
8 hours agoTexas Rangers second baseman
Marcus Semien is taking his first day off of the year and his first since May of 2022 for Wednesday's matinee game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. With Semien on the bench,
Ezequiel Duran is at the keystone and is batting ninth, while outfielder
Travis Jankowski is serving as the designated hitter and batting leadoff against Diamondbacks right-hander
Ryne Nelson. Semien isn't hurt, but he's been a little banged up after colliding with teammate
Adolis Garcia back on May 18. The 33-year-old will also have the day off during the team's travel day on Thursday before returning to action for Friday's series opener against the Marlins in Miami. Semien is currently slashing .249/.302/.425 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 233 at-bats. Jankowski will have some DFS sleeper appeal in the leadoff spot for Texas.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers
8 hours agoOakland Athletics right-hander
Luis Medina (knee) gave up two earned runs on four hits while walking two, hitting two batters and striking out six in 3 2/3 innings in his third minor-league rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Las Vegas. Medina made his first start in the Arizona Complex League on May 15 and gave up six runs over two innings while striking out three. He followed that up by throwing 2 1/3 innings (42 pitches) for Vegas on May 22, allowing five runs on four hits with one walk and a strikeout. The 25-year-old made some notable improvements in his third rehab start but will probably require a few more starts in the minors before the A's consider moving him to their big-league roster. When healthy, Medina's nasty fastball-slider combination can make him a worthwhile deep-league streamer.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoAfter seeing team doctors in Oakland on May 14, Athletics left-hander
Alex Wood (shoulder) was diagnosed with rotator-cuff tendonitis in his left shoulder and was expected to be shut down from throwing for at least 10 to 14 days from that date. Manager Mark Kotsay said on Tuesday that the plan is for Wood to begin playing catch on Saturday, June 1. His 15-day injured list placement is retroactive to May 13. The time off from throwing looks like it has been good for the 33-year-old veteran southpaw, but Wood still has a ways to go before he's pitching in live games and is on the cusp of a return from the IL. In the meantime, he belongs on the waiver wire in standard-sized mixed fantasy leagues. Before his shoulder injury, Wood had gone 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA and 1.78 WHIP with 33 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings over his first nine starts with the A's.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoOakland Athletics right-hander
Ross Stripling (elbow) landed on the injured list on May 25 with a right-elbow flexor strain one day after his start against the Houston Astros. Manager Mark Kotsay said on Tuesday that Stripling will not throw for seven to 10 days and the team will re-evaluate him after that period. It's already been a tough first season for Stripling and the A's, as the veteran pitcher was 1-9 with a 5.82 ERA (3.98 FIP) and 1.59 WHIP with 12 walks and 35 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings over his 11 starts before landing on the injured list. Stripling currently leads the league with his nine losses and also leads the league with 77 hits allowed. Even if Stripling gets past his elbow issue and returns to Oakland's starting rotation, fantasy managers in mixed leagues should look elsewhere.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoOakland Athletics infielder
J.D. Davis (hand) left the game early on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning after being hit by a
Zack Littell pitch on his left hand and he will undergo X-rays. Davis also had his right leg stepped on by outfielder
Jonny DeLuca in the fifth inning. He was able to finish the inning after being hit by the pitch but was replaced at first base by
Tyler Soderstrom before the bottom of the seventh. Manager Mark Kotsay said after the 3-0 win that Davis has a contusion, but we'll know more when his X-ray results are revealed. The 31-year-old went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice before leaving the game and is hitting .225/.271/.369 on the year with four homers and five RBI in 118 plate appearances. There's a good chance we won't see Davis in the starting lineup on Wednesday in Tampa.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals third baseman
Nolan Arenado is getting the day off on Wednesday versus the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. With Arenado on the bench,
Brendan Donovan will shift over to third base and hit leadoff against Reds right-hander
Frankie Montas. It was nice to see Arenado hit just his fourth home run of the year in the contest against the Reds on Tuesday, but he'll get the day off to rest with a scheduled off day coming on Thursday before St. Louis starts a weekend series on Friday in Philadelphia against the Phillies. The 33-year-old is hitting .257 (52-for-202) on the year with 25 RBI and 21 stolen bases, and his fantasy managers are hoping his power display on Tuesday will lead to more consistent power moving forward. Donovan is one of the better contact hitters in the league but is only batting .235 (47-for-200) on the year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Cardinals
8 hours agoThe Cincinnati Reds activated outfielder
TJ Friedl (thumb) from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and designated infielder
Mike Ford for assignment in a corresponding move. Friedl recovered very quickly from a left-thumb fracture and is immediately back in center field and is batting leadoff for the Reds on Wednesday against the visiting division-rival St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander
Andre Pallante. In nine career at-bats against Pallante, Friedl is hitting just .111. The 28-year-old left-handed swinger is also slashing just .182/.250/.227 with no home runs, two RBI and two stolen bases in only 22 at-bats in 2024 due to multiple unfortunate injuries he's already suffered this year. Friedl proved last year he has 20-20 ability over a full season, so he's worth rostering in most fantasy leagues now that he's back. His return is bad news for
Stuart Fairchild.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Cincinnati Reds
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