15 hours agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King racked up a season-high 12 strikeouts in Wednesday's win over the visiting Oakland Athletics, but he didn't factor into the decision. It was a strong outing for King, who dominated Oakland and managed to throw five innings of two-run ball before departing. Across his past five appearances, the 29-year-old former New York Yankee is 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA and 34:8 K:BB. As long as he can stay healthy during his first season as a full-time starter, King should remain a higher-end mixed-league fantasy contributor for his ability to miss bats a high rate and keep the ball in the yard with regularity. He draws a difficult matchup against the first-place Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, but he's tough to consider sitting right now.Source: MLB.com
15 hours agoHouston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez stayed hot in Wednesday's loss to the hosting San Francisco Giants, clubbing his 14th home run of the season. Alvarez cut the Astros' deficit to 5-3 with a two-run homer off Giants right-hander Logan Webb to left-center field in the sixth inning, continuing to put his early-season struggles in the rear-view mirror on Wednesday. Over his last 31 games, the 26-year-old superstar slugger is batting .347 with seven long balls, 17 RBI, and 20 runs scored for the Astros as Houston's everyday No. 3 hitter. The buy-low window in fantasy has been shut for a few weeks now, as Alvarez remains one of the premier four-category players in this talented lineup.Source: MLB.com
16 hours agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb logged another quality start in Wednesday's victory over the visiting Houston Astros, firing six solid innings with five strikeouts for his sixth win of the year. Webb is now up to 11 quality starts for the Giants in 2024, and he remains one of the safest bets in fantasy on a start-to-start basis for his ability to keep the ball on the ground at an elite level and limit the free passes despite a subpar strikeout rate. The 27-year-old right-hander might be on his way to Arlington for the first All-Star nod of his career later this summer, and he'll carry a steady 3.02 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 78:20 K:BB through 92 1/3 innings into his next scheduled start on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.Source: MLB.com
16 hours agoAn MRI exam on Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe (foot) showed that he's not dealing with a fracture in his left big toe. Renfroe landed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday but will not need surgery and now will have a shorter timeline for a return. His injury is more in line with a bone bruise and stress reaction, which means he could still need more than the minimum 10 days to recover and rejoin the Royals. The 32-year-old veteran right-handed slugger fouled two pitches off his toe in Monday's game. It remains to be seen if he'll be back with the team when he's eligible to come off the IL on June 21, but we'll keep tabs on his recovery. Renfroe can still provide some modest pop from the right side, but he's hit just .200 (34-for-170) on the season with 26 RBI and 22 runs scored in 56 games played for the Royals.Source: The Kansas City Star - Jaylon T. Thompson
16 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday that right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will now pitch on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals, with Thursday's pitching plan now to be determined. Instead of facing the Texas Rangers in the series finale on Thursday, Yamamoto will get the upstart Royals, who rank eighth in OPS (.725). The 25-year-old could use a little extra rest after he threw a season-high 106 pitches over seven brilliant scoreless innings his last time out against the New York Yankees last weekend. Although it's not the best matchup against KC this weekend, the Japanese hurler has been a must-start for fantasy lineups with the way he's been throwing the ball of late. And on the season, he's also been strong with a 6-2 record, 3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 72 innings over 13 starts in his first year in the majors in the U.S.Source: Kirsten Watson
16 hours agoSeattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz (back) received an injection in his lower back to help get the soreness out of it. Munoz also had an MRI exam and a bone scan, and neither of them showed any major issues. Although the 25-year-old right-handed reliever has avoided the injured list, he's been battling back issues for a bit now and hasn't appeared in a game since Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. He's also made just two appearances out of Seattle's bullpen so far this month. It's a good bet that we won't see him again until at least later this week so that he can have some extra time for his injection to work its magic. If more back tightness crops up, expect the M's to place Munoz on the injured list. Ryne Stanek has two saves and lefty Tayler Saucedo has a save for the M's with Munoz currently sidelined.Source: The Seattle Times - Ryan Divish
16 hours agoAccording to Seattle Mariners general manager Justin Hollander, right-hander Bryan Woo's (arm) MRI exam "was perfectly clean." Woo isn't dealing with any new damage in his right arm and will be reinserted into the starting rotation soon, potentially as early as next week. The Mariners scratched Woo from his scheduled start on Tuesday with some concerns about his arm, but his MRI exam has eased some concerns that the 24-year-old might have to return to the injured list for the second time this year. The former sixth-round pick in 2021 out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo got a late start to the 2024 regular season due to an injury but is a perfect 3-0 with a miniscule 1.07 ERA (2.37 FIP) and 0.53 WHIP with a 24:2 K:BB in 33 2/3 frames over his six starts. Woo's 20.2% strikeout rate leaves a lot to be desired, but fantasy managers can't really complain given how well he's thrown otherwise so far this year.Source: MLB.com - Daniel Kramer
17 hours agoNew York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder, triceps) threw his second bullpen session on Wednesday and will have two more bullpens, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Senga said he expects to pitch this season, and his next step is facing batters again before embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment. "He was smiling after he was done throwing," Mendoza said. "That's a good sign." The 31-year-old Japanese pitcher hasn't pitched all year for the Mets and was shut down in May due to tightness in his right triceps muscle. After he completes two more bullpens, Senga will be cleared to face live hitters. Given how long he's been out, fantasy managers should expect a lengthy rehab assignment when the time comes. Continue to stash Senga in all fantasy leagues, but his return will not come until some point in the second half of the season.Source: The Athletic - Will Sammon
17 hours agoNew York Mets right-handed relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (shoulder), who is set to return from the injured list on Thursday, will be the team's closer when he's back, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Diaz was given a break from the closer's role in New York right before he was placed on the 15-day injured list in late May with a right-shoulder impingement. The hard-throwing reliever should have never been dumped by fantasy managers to begin with despite his struggles this year -- he has a 5.40 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, five saves, 30 strikeouts and seven walks in 20 innings pitched -- and hopefully he'll find a way to turn things around now that his right shoulder is feeling better. There's a chance that the Mets ease Diaz back into save opportunities upon his return, but fantasy managers will want to get him back into their lineups immediately on Thursday.Source: Newsday - Tim Healey
17 hours agoNew York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) will make his next minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, according to manager Aaron Boone. The skipper was then asked if he expects this to be Cole's final rehab start before returning from the 60-day injured list, and Boone said, "we'll see." Friday's outing will be his third rehab start. The 33-year-old reigning American League Cy Young winner went 4 2/3 innings in his latest rehab start for Double-A Somerset on Sunday and threw 57 pitches. Cole continues to build up his right arm after being shut down with right-elbow issues in spring training, but fantasy managers should be getting excited about his impending return. When Cole makes his 2024 debut for the Bombers, he'll be a must-start in all fantasy lineups.Source: NJ Advance Media - Max Goodman
17
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agoDetroit
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right-hander
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feeling
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make
his
next
start
on
Saturday
against
the
Houston
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and
right-hander
Justin
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17 hours agoWashington Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore (finger) is dealing with a fingernail issue and will have his next start moved back to Friday for the series opener against the visiting division-rival Miami Marlins. Left-hander Patrick Corbin will take the hill in Thursday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers in Motown. It's something to watch for Gore, but it's not enough for fantasy managers to consider benching the 25-year-old southpaw in what is another strong matchup against the Fish. The Marlins have the second-worst team OPS in baseball at .635, although they rank 24th in strikeouts. Gore allowed a season-high six earned runs to the Mets on June 3 but bounced back with five innings of two-run ball and seven K's against Atlanta his last time out. He has yet to face Miami in 2024 but should be started on Friday.Source: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
17 hours agoHouston Astros manager Joe Espada said that catcher Yainer Diaz (finger) is improving and hit in the cages on Wednesday. "He's almost there, 100 percent," Espada said. "He's a guy that could come out there today and help, but will definitely be ready for Friday if I need him to start the game." Diaz missed a third straight start on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants in the series finale after taking a foul tip off his right index finger over the weekend, but the 25-year-old backstop appears poised to return to action for the series opener on Friday against the Detroit Tigers after a scheduled off day on Thursday. Diaz's injured finger primarily affects his throwing and accuracy, so hopefully he can pick up where he left off swinging the bat. He's currently riding a modest six-game hitting streak that has seen him go 8-for-25 (.320) with four home runs and 10 RBI in June.Source: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
17 hours agoThe Chicago White Sox activated outfielder Andrew Benintendi (Achilles) from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, and they could do the same for outfielder Tommy Pham (ankle) as early as Thursday, the first day he's eligible to come off the IL. Pham started a minor-league assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Monday and is expected to be ready to go later this week after landing on the 10-day injured list last week with a left-ankle sprain that wasn't too serious. The 36-year-old veteran outfielder isn't going to be a huge help in counting stats for fantasy managers in deeper leagues, but he should return to regular playing time. Pham joined the White Sox late this year but has been productive when given his opportunities, slashing .280/.331/.402 with three home runs and three stolen bases in 33 games.Source: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen
17 hours agoThe Chicago White Sox reinstated outfielder Andrew Benintendi (Achilles) from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, but he's not in the starting lineup against the Seattle Mariners and right-hander Bryce Miller. Benintendi had been playing in minor-league rehab games in Arizona before being activated and went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored in the Arizona Complex League. He homered in his last at-bat against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 1 before going on the shelf. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter should become a regular in Chicago's outfield now that he's back, although he hasn't done much to help fantasy managers in deeper leagues with a .195/.230/.284 slash line, four home runs, 18 RBI and 13 runs scored in his 190 at-bats this year.Source: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen