13 hours agoDetroit Tigers pitching prospect Andrew Sears was selected from the University of Connecticut during the 10th round of last year's MLB Draft. He's struggled with walks in the past but generally induces weak contact. His pitch repertoire is headlined by an effective fastball that clocks around 95 mph. Last week, Sears twirled five shutout innings. He allowed one hit, walked one batter, and hit one batter, all while recording a whopping nine strikeouts. It was his best outing of the 2024 season and also gave him a two-game streak with zero runs allowed. Don't be surprised if he gets elevated to High-A or Double-A soon.Source: FanGraphs
13 hours agoDetroit Tigers infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee is a former international signing from Taiwan who was acquired from the Phillies at last summer's trade deadline. He was swapped for Michael Lorenzen in a one-for-one trade, and so far, it looks like Detroit won that swap. Lee is a very polished hitter who gets good speed and strength behind his swings, works counts effectively, and hits to all parts of the field. There are also some indications that he may have some untapped (sneaky) pop. Finally, he's an above-average defender with good baseball IQ and reaction time. He'll likely play second base long-term, though he's looked solid on the left side of the infield before, too. Last week, Lee went 7-for-18 with two homers, 10 RBI, four walks, and four strikeouts. There aren't too many prospects who can hit for power while maintaining a respectable K/BB rate, but Lee is one of those players. He'll likely make his MLB debut in 2025.Source: FanGraphs
13 hours agoCleveland Guardians pitching prospect Trenton Denholm was the club's 14th-round pick in 2021. At 24, he's on the older side for High-A prospects, but there's still plenty to like about his profile. His fastball velocity has fluctuated over the past few years, but he has ultimately shown that he can throw it in the mid-90s. He also gets plenty of breaking action on his curveball. There are concerns about his control, especially given that he's had difficulty locating his curveball. However, his 10.02 K/9 and 0.84 BB/9 this year are both great signs. Last week, Denholm tossed a seven-inning complete-game shutout. He held his opponent scoreless while surrendering just two hits and one walk. He also showed an ability to find the strike zone and miss bats, racking up an impressive nine strikeouts over seven frames.Source: FanGraphs
13 hours agoWashington Nationals outfield prospect James Wood is a former second-round pick who was flipped from the Padres as part of the return package for Juan Soto. At 6-foot-7, he's a big-bodied prospect capable of producing impressive power. He's also a very good runner, both on the basepaths and as a defender in the outfield. He rounds out his profile with a solid hit tool, reliable glovework, and a strong arm. Wood has legitimate five-tool potential, though he needs to cut down on strikeouts. He went down on strikes 173 times in 2023. Last week, Wood went 10-for-22 with five homers, 12 RBI, four walks, and four strikeouts. He also stole a base. The Nationals have plenty of young talent in their farm system, but Wood might be the best of the bunch. He should make his MLB debut sometime this season.Source: FanGraphs
13 hours agoTampa Bay Rays first baseman prospect Xavier Isaac stayed hot for High-A Bowling Green on Wednesday, going 4-for-6 with two doubles, three RBI, and a run scored. The game raised his season slashline to .280/.366/.523 with six home runs, 32 RBI, 24 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 29 games. The 20-year-old is MLB's 47th-ranked prospect (No. 3 for Tampa) and should see a promotion to Double-A before long, although he's at least a year or more away from making an impact at the major league level. With his hot hitting and 65-grade power, he should remain on the radar in dynasty leagues.Source: MiLB.com
14 hours agoAtlanta Braves pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep threw eight innings in a 2-1 victory for Double-A Mississippi on Wednesday. The righty allowed six hits and one run but did not walk a batter while striking out a season-high eight. The 22-year-old was selected in the first round of the 2023 Draft and is currently listed as the Braves second-ranked prospect per MLB.com (No. 75 in MLB). Waldrep is 2-3 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and a 14:33 BB:K in 38 IP so far in 2024. Look for Waldrep to make it to Triple-A at some point this season, and depending on the health of the Braves rotation, it's within the realm of possibility to see him make a couple starts in Atlanta by season's end.Source: MiLB.com
14 hours agoThe Milwaukee Brewers promoted outfield prospect Chris Roller to the major league club on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, the Brewers optioned Oliver Dunn to the minors. The 27-year-old made his major league debut Wednesday night when he entered the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter, ultimately striking out in a six-pitch at-bat. The right-handed hitter did a lot of that in his 56 Triple-A at-bats this season, striking out at a 36.2% clip (21 times compared to two walks), while batting .250 with zero home runs and one stolen base. Roller was drafted in 2017, so it's nice when you see a player's perseverance pay off, but as far as fantasy is concerned, he is off the radar for now.Source: Brewers on X
14 hours agoSan Francisco Giants outfield prospect Hunter Bishop was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday. The 25-year-old was the 10th overall draft pick in 2019, but between 2020 being wiped out due to COVID and other injuries including Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of 2023, Bishop's path to Triple-A has taken some time. In 2022 he hit .235 with 13 home runs and 20 stolen bases over 85 games at High-A. Prior to his promotion, the left-handed hitter was slashing .242/.314/.358 at Double-A, with two home runs and five stolen bases. With aspirations of making it to the majors, hopefully he can somehow cut down on the strikeout rate at Triple-A (31.4% K% at Double-A). Although no longer ranked within the Giants Top-30 prospects, Bishop once had the profile to make him a top draft pick, so he should at least be on the radar for dynasty managers.Source: Maria Guardado - MLB.com
14 hours agoSan Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) is aiming to return from the 15-day injured list this weekend to start on Sunday in Atlanta against the Braves. Musgrove threw a bullpen session on Monday and was expected to throw another one on Wednesday, and it looks like he's shown enough to convince the Padres that he doesn't need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the starting rotation. The 31-year-old veteran went on the injured list on May 5 with right-elbow inflammation and was 3-3 with an elevated 6.37 ERA and 1.51 WHIP with 36 strikeouts in 41 innings over his eight starts to begin 2024. Although Musgrove looked much better in his last outing against the Cincinnati Reds, fantasy managers will be rolling the dice if they go with him in his first start off the IL on Sunday against the strong offense of the Braves.Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Jeff Sanders
14 hours agoThe San Francisco Giants have promoted pitching prospect Reggie Crawford to Triple-A Sacramento. The lefty has seven appearances so far in 2024 and while the ERA isn't notable at 4.66, he's been a strikeout machine with 19 punchouts in just a total of nine-and-two-thirds innings pitched. The 2022 first-round draft pick struck out 32 batters in just 19 IP across two levels of the minors last season. The former two-way player has focused solely on pitching this season, not logging a single at-bat in 2024. As a southpaw with his strikeout potential, there's a chance he'll be in San Francisco before the season ends. Unless closer Camilo Doval were to become unavailable, though, Crawford would only be good for the Ks in fantasy leagues.Source: Maria Guardado - MLB.com
14 hours agoCleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) successfully threw a 50-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday. Williams said he didn't feel any lingering effects following his first bullpen session since receiving an anti-inflammatory injection, and he's scheduled to throw his next bullpen on Friday. The 24-year-old former top prospect is working his way back from discomfort in his right elbow after being shut down in late April, and it remains unclear when he'll resume his rehab assignment at this point. Williams should still be an option in Cleveland's rotation sometime in June, and fantasy managers who can afford the stash should be holding the right-hander after he posted a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 81:37 K:BB across 82 innings (16 starts) for the Guards in his rookie season in 2023. In the meantime, veterans Carlos Carrasco and Ben Lively will keep battling to hold down spots in the rotation.Source: MLB.com
15 hours agoAtlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, which could start as early as Monday. This is a very encouraging development for the Braves, who lost Murphy to a strained left oblique all the way back on Opening Day. The 29-year-old All-Star backstop has remained sidelined with the injury far longer than it was originally anticipated, but he's back on course to get back behind the dish for Atlanta sometime in late May if all goes well. Fantasy managers who have been streaming Travis d'Arnaud probably should start making other arrangements, but with the veteran slashing a strong .260/.342/.510 with five home runs, 10 doubles, and 16 RBI over 100 at-bats this year, he remains a hold in two-catcher leagues until Murphy returns.Source: MLB.com
15 hours agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs (elbow) threw a two-inning live batting practice session on Wednesday and will next pitch in a Rookie-level Florida Complex League game on Monday. It'll be big step forward in Springs' recovery from last April's Tommy John surgery when the hurler returns to game action on Monday, and considering his rehab assignment is on the verge of beginning, there's a chance he'll be built back up and ready to rejoin Tampa Bay's injury-depleted rotation before the end of June. Over his last three seasons (196 innings), the 31-year-old left-hander owns an outstanding 2.53 ERA (3.14 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 231:49 K:BB and can be stashed in deep competitive leagues. Veteran right-hander Zack Littell is functioning as a starter for the Rays for the time being, and he's worthy of streaming consideration when facing a favorable matchup.Source: MLB.com
15 hours agoTampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that second baseman Brandon Lowe's (oblique) visit with a specialist on Tuesday brought "good news," as the infielder's imaging showed he's healing and heading in the right direction. It's just an issue of pain tolerance as Lowe recuperates from a strained right oblique, but he'll return to St. Petersburg for what the Rays hope to be a short stay. Lowe will then resume swinging and return to minor-league rehab games, and the 29-year-old righty masher still appears to be on track to return to Tampa Bay sometime in late May if all goes well. Before going down, Lowe went 5-for-27 with one home run and four RBI in eight games this year and is only a modest fantasy stash. In his absence, Amed Rosario and Richie Palacios have formed a platoon for at-bats at second base.Source: Marc Topkin - Tampa Bay Times
15 hours agoAtlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (back) is listed as the probable starter for Sunday's matchup against the visiting San Diego Padres. After exiting Monday's appearance against the Chicago Cubs following 71 pitches due to back tightness, Lopez is good to go for his next scheduled start and won't need to miss any time. The hard-throwing 30-year-old right-hander has been a pleasant surprise out of Atlanta's rotation over seven starts in 2024, compiling a 1.34 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 40:16 K:BB in 40 1/3 innings thus far during his first season with the Braves. With that said, Lopez owns a 3.72 xERA on Baseball Savant and could be in for some regression at some point. The Padres entered Wednesday's action ranking fifth in the major leagues in both average (.255) and runs scored (211) covering 45 games.Source: Justin Toscano - Atlanta Journal-Constitution