7 hours agoMiami Marlins shortstop
Tim Anderson (thumb), who was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to a mild left-thumb sprain that he suffered on Monday, is back at shortstop and is hitting sixth for the Fish on Thursday against the visiting Colorado Rockies and right-hander
Peter Lambert. The 30-year-old veteran missed the last two games but is now back in there and is ready to go. After falling off a cliff in his final year with the Chicago White Sox in 2023, Anderson has continued to disappoint fantasy managers so far with a .221/.267/.253 slash line with no home runs, five RBI, three stolen bases and eight runs scored in the first month of the season. Hopefully, we start to see some signs of a turnaround from Anderson in May.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Christina De Nicola
7 hours agoCleveland Guardians closer
Emmanuel Clase recorded his ninth save of the season on Wednesday in a 3-2 victory over the Astros. With the Guardians up one run in the tenth inning and a runner on second to begin the inning, Clase needed just five pitches to end the game. The righty struck out the first batter he saw on four pitches, then got the Astros'
Mauricio Dubon to line out on one pitch with
Victor Caratini getting doubled off at second base to end the game. The 26-year-old now sports a superb 0.55 ERA on the season with a 0.80 WHIP and a 25.4% K-BB% to go along with his nine saves. After posting 40-plus saves in each of the past two seasons with solid ERA and WHIP numbers, Clase appears poised to do it all over again this season.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
8 hours agoHouston Astros outfielder
Kyle Tucker hit a 422-foot home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians, a solo shot in the seventh inning off of Guardians starter
Triston McKenzie. It was the lefty's eighth home run of the year and third in his past four games. It also extended his hitting streak to seven games and he's hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, going 16-for-44 (.364) over the 12-game stretch while raising his season batting average to .298. The 2x All-Star has also walked more than he's struck out this season, with 21 walks to 20 strikeouts. It seems his early-season discrepancy between BA and xBA is starting to even out with the 27-year-old making another push for an All-Star selection and possibly an MVP-caliber season.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
8 hours agoThere aren't many players seeing the ball as well as Cleveland Guardians outfielder
Steven Kwan right now, as he picked up three hits in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Astros, raising his season average to .360 and extending his personal hitting streak to seven games. During the hit streak, the 26-year-old is 11-for-28 (.393) with a double, two triples, a home run, four RBI, six runs scored, and a stolen base. He's also walked three times and remarkably hasn't struck out even once. His Contact% of 93.1% for the season is tops in the majors for players with at least 100 plate appearances, and with three home runs on the year, he is on pace to set a new personal best with the lefty's six home runs in 2022 his current career high.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
8 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers catcher
Will Smith continued his success against left-handed pitching in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over the Diamondbacks when he hit his fourth home run of the season off of left-handed starter
Jordan Montgomery. The solo shot was his only hit in the game, finishing 1-for-5, but he's now got three homers in his last five games. The 29-year-old is mashing lefties this season, now slashing .425/.489/.725 against them (.314/.338/.457 vs RHP) with six doubles, two home runs, and a 6:5 BB:K. He remains one of the top options at catcher for season-long fantasy so continue to fire him up there, but certainly take a closer look at him for DFS purposes on days when he's facing a southpaw.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
8 hours agoDespite a strong performance from
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter
Joc Pederson collected three of the five hits that the righty allowed in the outing, with Pederson ending the game 3-for-4. Although all three hits were singles and the D-backs were unable to scratch across even one run in the contest, Pederson was able to raise his batting average to .317 while increasing his OBP to .451, which is second-best in baseball to only NL MVP front-runner
Mookie Betts. The inflated OBP is also due in part to his robust 15.7% BB% on the season. The 32-year-old has shown a little pop too, with six doubles and two home runs in 2024.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
9 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Yoshinobu Yamamoto held the Arizona Diamondback bats in check in Wednesday's 8-0 victory, picking up his third win of the season. The 25-year-old pitched six scoreless frames, allowing five hits and walking two while striking out five. He now owns a strong 2.91 ERA and 1.09 WHIP through seven starts, although excluding his first start of the season where he allowed five earned runs it would be a 1.64 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over the last six starts. The righty continues to look as good as advertised and takes on a Marlins team in his next start that is currently 8-24 while scoring the seventh-fewest runs in the league so far in 2024.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
9 hours agoThe Chicago White Sox have promoted pitcher
Jared Shuster on Wednesday. Shuster was one of the many players acquired from the Atlanta Braves this offseason for
Aaron Bummer. It will be his second go-around at the big-league level this season, with him tossing 6 1/3 innings earlier in the year out of the bullpen. Shuster fared well with four strikeouts and no walks with one run allowed. Shuster has struggled with a 6.39 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Charlotte, but it is expected that he will work out of the bullpen for the White Sox. He can safely remain on the waiver wire in all fantasy formats.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
9 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks pitching prospect
Yu-Min Lin (jaw) will miss around six weeks after being struck in the dugout by a foul ball this past Friday. Lin suffered multiple face fractures to his jaw that will require surgery. The team's No. 4 prospect is expected to make a full recovery, and the surgery is considered minor. On the season, Lin has struggled with a 7.00 ERA in four starts for Double-A Amarillo, but he does have 21 strikeouts in 18 innings with just five walks. The numbers should not be read into that much, as he is playing in a hitter-dominant Pacific Coast League. Lin, 20, has ascended at every level for the Diamondbacks, and his ability to limit damage and rack up strikeouts is a big reason why. It wouldn't be unreasonable to think that he could be in Arizona before the season is over, and he could be worth monitoring in dynasty leagues when he returns from his injury.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
9 hours agoBaltimore Orioles pitching prospect
Cade Povich improved to 3-1 with another strong performance for Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. The lefty tossed six innings and allowed five hits, one run, four walks and struck out five on the evening. Povich has been dominant this
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10 hours agoColorado Rockies pitching prospect
Chase Dollander continued his impressive start of the season for High-A Spokane on Wednesday. The teams first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2023 tossed four innings of scoreless ball and allowed just two hits with three walks and six strikeouts to lower his ERA to 2.33 on the season through four starts. Dollander has shown the ability to rack up strikeouts with 33 in 19 1/3 innings seasons, but he does have eight walks. The former Tennessee Volunteer standout has looked the part in his first go-around in the minor leagues and his mix of a fastball that can reach 99 MPH to go along with a nice breaking ball can help ascend him through the Rockies system quickly. Still only 22, MLB.com's No. 47 prospect is an intriguing name for dynasty managers to keep an eye on as the year goes along.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
10 hours agoCincinnati Reds outfield prospect
Jay Allen II has been off to a hot start for High-A Dayton. On Wednesday, Allen went 2-for-4 with five RBI, two walks, two stolen bases and a pair of homers. The homeruns were his fourth and fifth of the season and he is now hitting a pristine .386 to go along with 10 RBI and five stolen bases over his first 44 at-bats. Staying on the field has been the biggest issue for the young outfielder and his five round trippers are already a career best. Allen was a three-sport athlete coming out of high school, so his development might take a little longer than most players. The 21-year-old has been a bit aggressive at the plate, but he draws walks and the hope is that his plate aggressiveness will improve as Allen continues to develop. Allen is only a name for dynasty managers to keep on the watch-list for now.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
18 hours agoTampa Bay Rays infield prospect
Junior Caminero smacked two more home runs on Wednesday for Triple-A Durham. It was the second time in three games that the 20-year-old accomplished the feat, bringing his season total to six. He's clearly shaken off the early season hamstring injury and there just isn't much more you can say about him.
Isaac Paredes provides plenty of pop at third base but missed Wednesday's game due to general soreness, so perhaps he moves to DH to make room for the youngster. Regardless, no matter the scenario that gets him there, we should be seeing Caminero in the big leagues sooner rather than later and he should be rostered in fantasy leagues wherever possible.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
18 hours agoCleveland Guardians starting pitcher
Triston McKenzie submitted his best showing of the 2024 regular season in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Houston Astros, fanning six hitters while surrendering two runs on five hits (one home run) and one walk over a season-high seven innings. It hasn't been a great start to the year for McKenzie, who missed most of last season due to injury, but he cruised through Houston's dangerous lineup in the first five innings.
Kyle Tucker tagged him for a homer in the seventh, leaving McKenzie with a no-decision. The 26-year-old right-hander improved his ERA to 4.34 with a 1.48 WHIP and a troubling 24:18 K:BB over 29 innings (six starts) to begin the campaign. Monday's home start against the division-rival Detroit Tigers offers him a great chance to build on Wednesday's display. In seven career starts (43 IP) against Detroit, McKenzie has a 1.05 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and 50:11 K:BB.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
18 hours agoWashington Nationals starting pitcher
Trevor Williams held the defending-champion Texas Rangers in check in Wednesday's surprising 1-0 road victory, working around five hits and a season-high four walks to launch five scoreless innings with three strikeouts. After a spotless opening inning, Williams tiptoed around plenty of trouble over his 79 pitches but was able to escape with his third win of the campaign to remain unbeaten. The soft-throwing 32-year-old right-hander now holds a steady 2.27 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 22:12 K:BB across 31 2/3 frames (six starts) out of Washington's rotation this season. A tough test awaits Williams in Tuesday's scheduled start against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander
Corbin Burnes at Nationals Park for the first outing of a two-game Beltway Series. The O's have hit an MLB-high 45 home run in 30 games, making Williams a tough sell as a fantasy streamer.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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