14 hours agoBoston Red Sox relief pitcher
Liam Hendriks (elbow) was able to throw fastballs and breaking pitches off the front of a mound on Thursday as he progresses in his throwing program after having Tommy John surgery. The 35-year-old Australian reliever overcame a cancer diagnosis to return to the Chicago White Sox in 2023, but he only ended up appearing in five games before undergoing elbow surgery. The three-time All-Star has 116 career saves in the big leagues over 13 seasons, so he'll bring veteran experience to the back end of Boston's bullpen when he's eventually cleared, but there's no current timetable for his return, and he's unlikely to join the team until the second half of the season. For now, Hendriks can be left to the waiver wire in most fantasy leagues, and there's no guarantee he'll be a candidate for saves in Boston as long as
Kenley Jansen remains healthy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Boston Globe - Alex Speier
14
hours
agoBoston
Red
Sox
catcher
Connor
Wong
and
outfielder
Rob
Refsnyder
are
both
out
of
the
starting
lineup
on
Saturday
versus
the
visiting
Detroit
Tigers.
Reese
McGuire
will
do
the
catching
for
Boston
and
read more...
16 hours agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher
Bryan Woo threw six innings of shutout ball in Friday's 5-4 victory over the Angels but did not factor into the decision. The righty allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out two, picking up his third straight quality start. Woo has been great since coming off of the IL, going 2-0 while posting a 1.30 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, and an 18:2 K:BB over five starts (27 2/3 IP). He gets a mouthwatering matchup against the Athletics on the road in his next start on Thursday.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
16 hours agoSeattle Mariners first baseman
Ty France went 3-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels. France was a triple shy of the cycle, having collected a single, a double, and his seventh home run of the season. The 29-year-old has now hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 11-for-27 (.407) over that stretch, including two home runs and seven RBI. The right-handed hitter has a .260-7-24-18-0 line with a .327 wOBA and 117 wRC+ on the season. He'll see lefty
Reid Detmers on Saturday who he has doubled and homered off of in the past (3-for-13, two BB).
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
16 hours agoColorado Rockies shortstop
Ezequiel Tovar went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-1 win over the Dodgers. Tovar recorded one RBI and also scored twice in the contest. The 22-year-old has been hot lately, going 32-for-91 (.352) since May 9 (20 games), including 11 multi-hit performances. On the season he's slashing .294/.328/.481 with a .351 wOBA and 114 wRC+. The right-handed hitter has a surprisingly low Contact% (66.9%) and high K% (30.0%) for someone batting close to .300. An unsustainable .400 BABIP combined with those other stats spells regression, but for now he's hot and you're happy he's your starting shortstop in redraft leagues.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
16 hours agoToronto Blue Jays outfielder
Davis Schneider had just one hit in six at-bats in Friday's 5-3 win over the Pirates, but it was a big one. The lone hit was a walk-off two-run home run in the 14th inning of Friday's contest. The blast was his seventh of the season and second in his last four games. Despite not hitting for average, the right-handed hitter is racking up the RBI with 12 in his last nine games after going 8-for-33 (.242). Schneider has been hitting leadoff which could produce solid run production as he's been getting on base via the walk (eight BB in last nine games), and he's got three steals on the season as well. Eligible at both 2B and OF, he could continue to be a solid source of power with his 14.2% Barrel%.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
17 hours agoColorado Rockies starting pitcher
Dakota Hudson threw seven innings of one-run ball in Friday's 4-1 win over the Dodgers. Hudson allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out three on his way to earning his second win of the season. The 29-year-old has shown improvement lately despite the 2-7 record, having allowed three runs or less in five of his last six outings. The ground-ball pitcher (54.7%) isn't going to record a lot of strikeouts (12.1% K%), but perhaps the recent run of success will start translating to more wins. Still, with a 4.86 FIP, he may be hard to trust for fantasy. The former first-round draft pick will get Cincinnati at home in his next start on Wednesday.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
17 hours agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Jose Berrios threw seven innings of one-run ball in Friday's 5-3 win over the Pirates. The righty allowed six hits, no walks, and struck out five in the no-decision. The outing was his fourth straight quality start and it tied him for the league lead with 10. Aside from one poor outing, Berrios has been one of the more consistent pitchers this season, posting a 2.78 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 13.7% K-BB%. The 2x All-Star will get Baltimore at home in his next start on Wednesday.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
18 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers shortstop prospect
Joendry Vargas has been mashing the ball in the Rookie League and could be moved up to Single-A fairly soon. On Friday, he posted his second four-hit game of the week and launched his first long ball of the season. Through twelve games this season, the 18-year-old has posted a .340/.414/.480 line with five RBI, four stolen bases, and a 5:11 BB:K ratio. Vargas spent 48 games last season with the Rookie League and posted a strong .328/.423/.529 line with seven home runs. Even though Vargas remains several seasons away from his major league debut, he is already sitting just outside the top ten prospects in the Los Angeles system on MLB Pipeline at number eleven. He is worth following in dynasty leagues but should stay on your waiver wire for a few seasons, as his projected ETA is 2028.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
18 hours agoNew York Yankees outfield prospect
Spencer Jones launched his third home run of the campaign on Friday, breaking a month-long power drought. The former first-round pick got a small taste of Double-A last summer but has been given an extended opportunity at this level to begin this season. He posted a strong .320/.382/.540 line in April but has gotten a bit cold in the batter's box in May with a .170/.282/.220 line. However, even though Jones is struggling to hit, his elite speed is still playing well at Double-A, as he has already swiped twelve bags this season. MLB Pipeline ranks Jones as the 68th overall prospect in baseball and projects him to reach the major leagues next season. Jones is worth monitoring in dynasty leagues and could be worth stashing later in the summer if he continues to find his footing at Double-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
18 hours agoNew York Yankees outfield prospect
Jasson Dominguez (elbow) has been performing very well in his rehab assignment. On Friday, the 21-year-old launched his third home run in five games and tallied three total hits to extend his hitting streak to six games. The top prospect in New York ended the 2023 season in the major leagues and performed quite well with a .258/.303/.677 slash line with four home runs and one stolen base. However, he underwent Tommy John surgery last fall, which has kept him sidelined through May. Dominguez is a must-stash player in all formats, as he will provide five-category production when given the opportunity to play in the major leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
18 hours agoChicago White Sox starting pitching prospect
Jake Eder continued his hot stretch on Friday with 6 1/3 shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and two free passes and tied a season-high with eight strikeouts. After posting a poor 5.24 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in his first seven starts of the season, the Vanderbilt product has begun to find his footing at Double-A with a stellar 1.56 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in his previous three starts. The southpaw has been at the Double-A level for an extended stint over the past three seasons but could be nearing the end, as he is on pace to have the best season of his career. MLB Pipeline ranks Eder as the No. 10 overall prospect in the Chicago system and projects him to reach the majors next season. Eder could become a stash candidate in dynasty leagues if he carries this success to Triple-A later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
19 hours agoChicago Cubs starting pitching prospect
Cade Horton (lat) was placed on the seven-day injured list on Friday with a lat injury. The top prospect in Chicago left his most recent start on May 29 early after just logging one inning of work. The Cubs will be very cautious with Horton, so he may miss an extended period of time. Horton opened the season with Double-A but earned a promotion to Triple-A early on. However, he has not shown much consistency at Triple-A, with a 7.50 ERA and 1.56 WHIP compared to the 1.25 ERA and 1.02 WHIP he held at Double-A over the past two summers. The former seventh overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft was on pace to join the major league roster this summer, but this injury may affect that timeline. Dynasty and keeper league managers should continue to stash Horton, but redraft managers can drop him for the time being.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
19 hours agoPittsburgh Pirates left-hander
Bailey Falter turned in a fourth straight quality start in his team's 5-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in 14 innings on Friday. Falter tossed six innings of shutout ball while allowing just two hits, striking out five, and walking two. The 27-year-old southpaw has been a pleasant surprise for the Pirates this season, posting a 3-2 record, 3.22 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts over 64 1/3 innings of work. Falter isn't posting big strikeout numbers but he has proven worthy of a spot in fantasy lineups thanks to his other solid numbers. He will return to the mound on Thursday at home to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
--Matt T - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
19 hours agoBaltimore Orioles closer
Craig Kimbrel tossed a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Kimbrel struck out two and did not allow a baserunner on the way to securing his 13th save in 16 chances in 2024. The 36-year-old veteran now has a 3.00 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 21 innings in his first season with the O's. Kimbrel should continue to see plenty of save chances pitching for the contending Orioles moving forward. That, coupled with his elite strikeout rate, makes him an excellent fantasy closer for fantasy managers this season.
--Matt T - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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