20 hours agoBoston Red Sox shortstop
David Hamilton will be on the bench Saturday night. Hamilton is hitting .281 with four home runs, 14 RBI, 22 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases. Rookie
Ceddanne Rafaela will get the start instead and hit in the ninth spot. Hamilton has had a solid June, hitting .283 with two homers, five RBI, and five stolen bases in 47 plate appearances. This is likely a day off for the left-handed hitting Hamilton as the Red Sox face lefty
Carlos Rodon and the New York Yankees on Saturday night. Look for the speedy shortstop to be back in action Sunday afternoon in the series finale.
--Mike Carter - RotoBallerSource: Boston Red Sox on X
21 hours agoLos Angeles Angels reliever
Ben Joyce will open Sunday's series finale with the San Francisco Giants as the club hopes to get two innings out of the right-hander. Joyce has made just four appearances so far this season for the Angels and also pitched in another 18 contests with Double-A Rocket City, tossing a 12.27 ERA in the majors but also a 4.26 ERA in the minors alongside a 2.32 xFIP that suggests he was far better in the minors than his surface ERA indicates. The flame thrower's 2023 season was cut short due to an elbow injury as he posted a 5.40 ERA in 10 outings a season ago with a four-seam fastball that consistently reached triple digits.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Fletcher
21 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher
Willson Contreras (forearm) is targeting a late-June return to action and is also hoping to begin a minor-league rehab assignment around June 18. The veteran backstop suffered a gruesome break of his forearm when he was struck on a swing by Mets designated hitter
J.D. Martinez on May 7. The fairly swift potential return is excellent news for fantasy managers, considering how the injury looked, and it appears Contreras is approaching a best-case scenario. The 32-year-old has enjoyed a big season at the plate, hitting .280 with six homers, two stolen bases, and a career-high 14.1% walk rate, helping him to a sterling .949 OPS, while his 171 wRC+ checks in 71% above the league average.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Fox Sports MLB
22 hours agoOutfielder
Harold Ramirez has signed a minor-league contract with the Washington Nationals and he will report to Triple-A Rochester. The 29-year-old was recently designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays and was released on Friday but it didn't take him long to land with a new club roughly 24 hours later. Ramirez has been a productive hitter in each of the last two seasons with Tampa Bay and enjoyed a career year in 2023 that saw him hit .313 with 12 homers and an .813 OPS across 434 trips to the plate. However, he has taken a major step back in 2024, hitting .268 with just one homer alongside five steals and a .589 OPS across 48 games.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Mark Zuckerman
22 hours agoMiami Marlins outfielder
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the hosting Washington Nationals and left-hander
DJ Herz. The 26-year-old has enjoyed a nice season but has indeed been inferior against same-handed pitching. Chisholm is hitting .254 with 10 homers, 13 stolen bases, and a .754 OPS on the season but his OPS against lefties drops to .701 while his walk rate is just 6.3% against lefties versus 9.6% against right-handers.
Dane Myers will take over in center field and will hit sixth against Herz and the Nats on Saturday afternoon.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
22 hours agoLos Angeles Angels right-hander
Adam Cimber (shoulder) is likely to land on the injured list. The news comes just a day after Cimber was rocked for four earned runs while recording just a single out in an appearance against the San Francisco Giants. The veteran was off to a nice start to the season in his first tour of duty with the Angels but has now allowed nine earned runs over his last five outings and three innings of work. Overall, the 33-year-old side-armer sports a 7.03 ERA across 28 appearances on the season, walking a hefty 13.1% of the hitters he has faced, doubling his career 6.5% BB% in the process.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Fletcher
22 hours agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder
Michael Conforto is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the Los Angeles Angels and left-hander
Patrick Sandoval. Conforto did start Friday's series opener against another lefty in
Tyler Anderson and went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout but will hit the bench to begin Saturday afternoon's contest. It's been a solid season for the veteran who is hitting .242 with eight homers and a .724 OPS across 47 games and is actually hitting .311 with an .852 OPS against left-handed pitching.
Austin Slater will spell Conforto in left field and will hit out of the leadoff spot for a second consecutive game on Saturday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
23 hours agoThe third game of a four-game set between the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics was postponed on Saturday due to rain. The teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday, with the first game starting at 2:10 PM EST and the second game slated for a 7:10 PM EST start time.
Joey Estes and
Bailey Ober were slated to be Saturday's starters and should be expected to take the mound during one of the games on Sunday.
JP Sears and
Chris Paddack will likely take the mound in the other game on Sunday. Athletics backstop
Tyler Soderstrom is worth considering in DFS on Sunday as he is currently riding an impressive six-game hitting streak with three long balls in the stretch. In addition, Minnesota third baseman
Royce Lewis is also carrying a six-game hitting streak with two home runs during the stretch and will be a popular play on Sunday.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Oakland A's
23 hours agoAtlanta Braves outfielder
Jarred Kelenic will hit in the leadoff spot for the first time this season. Due to the injuries of
Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) and recently
Michael Harris II (hamstring), Kelenic may earn a permanent role in the leadoff spot going forward. The former top prospect has begun to find his footing in the batter's box with a .275/.326/.475 slash line since May 29. Overall, in his first season in Atlanta, the former sixth overall pick holds a .259/.305/.401 line with four home runs and one swiped bag. While Kelenic may have disappointed through the early part of the season, he has begun to string together a few solid performances and will now see even more opportunities batting in the top spot of a strong Braves lineup. He has a tough matchup Saturday afternoon against
Ryan Pepiot, who carries a stellar 1.01 WHIP.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
23 hours agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitcher
Kyle Bradish (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with a right UCL sprain. Bradish left his start on Friday afternoon with right elbow discomfort and previously missed the opening month of this season with a UCL sprain. As a result, the 27-year-old is expected to be sidelined for longer than the minimum 15-day stint. Baltimore promoted southpaw
Nick Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. Through 39 ⅓ innings this season, Bradish performed well with a 2.75 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts. While Bradish remains sidelined, rookie
Cade Povich should be expected to remain in the starting rotation making him an excellent waiver wire option this weekend.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baltimore Orioles
23 hours agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder
Brandon Marsh (hamstring) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday and will start in left field and bat seventh against
Grayson Rodriguez and the Baltimore Orioles. Marsh has been sidelined since June 2 with a right hamstring strain. Before the injury, Marsh carried a solid .265/.344/.426 slash line with six long balls and eight swiped bags. He currently holds a stellar 51.8% hard-hit rate and 92.1 mph average exit velocity, which suggests he could be in store for a big summer. Marsh is always worth a look in DFS, batting in the middle of an excellent Phillies lineup. Even though his matchup Saturday afternoon is difficult against Rodriguez, who carries a 7-2 record and 3.27 ERA, Marsh will have several prime RBI opportunities batting behind players like
Alec Bohm and
Bryce Harper.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Todd Zolecki
23 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers pitcher
Jared Koenig will serve as the opener on Saturday afternoon as the Brewers continue a three-game set against their division rival Cincinnati Reds.
Bryse Wilson will follow Koenig in long relief. Koenig enters Saturday with a strong 1.72 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and a 6:26 BB:K ratio through 31 ⅓ innings this season. He has been exceptional since May 17, as he has allowed just six hits and three free passes and has not surrendered a run. The 30-year-old southpaw should be expected to pitch at least two innings and could potentially remain in the game for the third frame if he is doing well. Koenig could be worth a look in DFS this afternoon, but select him with caution as he may only log a couple of innings.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Curt Hogg
24 hours agoToronto Blue Jays outfielder
Kevin Kiermaier (knee) is back in the starting lineup on Saturday after missing the past two games with a bruised knee. The 34-year-old has posted a disappointing .200/.248/.317 with two home runs and through 50 games this season. While he is on pace to have the worst batting average of his career, he is still stealing bases at a high rate and already has four swiped bags through the earlier part of the season and is currently ranked in the top 87th percentile among hitters in sprint speed. He will bat in the nine-hole on Saturday afternoon, as he usually does, and will face 37-year-old
Carlos Carrasco, who enters this game with a hefty 5.50 ERA and could be a sneaky play in DFS today with this great matchup.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Shi Davidi
24 hours agoCleveland Guardians All-Star third baseman
Jose Ramirez will miss the rest of the series in Toronto against the Blue Jays this weekend after being placed on the paternity list ahead of the birth of his second child. Outfielder
Johnathan Rodriguez has been called up from Triple-A Columbus to take Ramirez's spot on the roster. Fantasy managers will need to take J-Ram out of their lineups for the rest of the weekend, but he should be back for the start of a series on Tuesday against the visiting Seattle Mariners. With Ramirez out on Saturday,
Daniel Schneemann is starting at third base and batting seventh. The 31-year-old Ramirez is still one of the better position players in the big leagues. He's currently slashing .269/.330/.534 with an .864 OPS, 18 home runs, 62 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 51 runs scored in 264 at-bats in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Joe Noga
24 hours agoToronto Blue Jays infielder/outfielder
Davis Schneider is out of the starting lineup on Saturday versus the visiting Cleveland Guardians. With Schneider getting a breather, rookie
Spencer Horwitz is playing second base and batting leadoff, while rookie
Addison Barger will man third base and bat seventh against Guardians right-hander
Carlos Carrasco.
Daulton Varsho is also in left field and is batting fifth. Schneider is hitting only .230 (45-for-196) but has already matched his career-high in home runs with eight that he set in his rookie campaign in 2023, and he's also seen run in the leadoff spot this year with
George Springer struggling. The lefty-hitting Horwitz has been hot in his first six games in 2024 for Toronto, going 7-for-19 (.368). He'll be an interesting DFS sleeper in the leadoff spot against Carrasco.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet.ca - Shi Davidi
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