May 8, 2025
Minnesota Twins outfielder
Harrison Bader (illness) is starting in left field and is hitting eighth for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander
Dean Kremer at Target Field. Bader will be back in action for the Twins after missing the last two games due to an illness. The 30-year-old veteran has hit well so far in his first season with Minnesota, going 27-for-94 (.287) with four home runs, four doubles, 16 RBI, two stolen bases and 14 runs scored in 33 games played. Additionally, he enters Thursday's contest riding a nine-game hitting streak in which he's gone 13-for-29 (.448) with a homer, three doubles, four RBI, a steal and seven runs scored. Bader has hits in both his career at-bats against Kremer, too, but the fact he's hitting at the bottom of the lineup isn't great news for his DFS upside on Thursday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 8, 2025
Boston Red Sox right-handed pitching prospect Juan Valera logged his best outing of the High-A regular season on Wednesday against Rome. In this outing, the 18-year-old tossed five 2/3 shutout frames. He allowed just four hits and served up one walk. He struck out a season-high eight batters. This was the first time Valera did not allow a run in a start this season. Entering this contest, the right-hander carried a modest 6.97 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP across 20 2/3 innings of work. During this stint, the No. 19-ranked prospect in the system struck out just 22 batters. Fantasy managers should expect Valera to continue to spend most of the campaign at the High-A level. Given his modest start, he could eventually push for a late-season taste of Double-A if he is able to build off Wednesday's start.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 8, 2025
Baltimore Orioles second baseman
Jackson Holliday is hitting out of the two-hole for Thursday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field with both catcher
Adley Rutschman and
Cedric Mullins sitting out. It's the highest that Holliday has batted for Baltimore this year after recently being bumped up to the six-hole. The 21-year-old has picked things up offensively of late, going 8-for-22 with two home run, three RBI and four runs scored in seven games since April 28. Overall, the former first overall pick in 2022 is slashing .263/.333/.421 with a .754 OPS, four home runs, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and two stolen bases in 95 total at-bats. Fantasy managers hoping for more are just hoping that he can stay hot out of the two-spot against a pitcher that he has yet to face in the big leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 8, 2025
Baltimore Orioles catcher
Adley Rutschman and outfielder
Cedric Mullins are both taking the day off in Thursday's series finale against the hosting Minnesota Twins.
Maverick Handley will be the catcher and hit ninth, while
Ramon Laureano will patrol center field and hit fifth against Twins right-hander
Bailey Ober. Rutschman will take the day off after starting each of the last eight games for the O's. Like most of the team's bats this year, the switch-hitting backstop has been cold, hitting .212 (25-for-118) with four homers, 10 RBI and 15 runs on the year. Mullins will sit out for the first time since April 27. The 30-year-old has been one of the O's most productive offensive players with seven homers, 21 RBI and five steals in 33 games in 2025. Handley has never faced Ober, while Laureano is hitless against him in just two career at-bats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 8, 2025
Texas Rangers left-handed pitching prospect Kohl Drake logged six no-hit innings en route to picking up the victory over Double-A San Antonio. Drake struck out six batters and served up just two walks. Since allowing four runs in his season debut on April 8, Drake has been quite sharp, logging a stellar 0.93 ERA with a 0.67 WHIP. During this 19 1/3 inning stint, Drake has struck out 31 batters and served up just eight free passes. Last summer, Drake made his Double-A debut and held a modest 3.10 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP across his first 20 1/3 innings at this level. Earlier in that season, he spent time at High-A and posted a 2.53 ERA with a stellar 1.01 WHIP. Fantasy managers should expect the No. 13-ranked prospect in the Texas system to spend most of the 2025 season with Double-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 8, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Shane Baz was knocked around by the Phillies in Tampa on Wednesday, allowing six earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings. Baz gave up a solo home run to
Trea Turner in the third inning, but had only given up that one run before things unraveled on him in the fourth inning. He gave up three singles and a walk before
Bryce Harper smashed a two-run double that chased Baz from the game with a 6-0 deficit. Baz took the loss and fell to 3-2 on the year with a 4.93 ERA and 3.95 FIP. He has given up at least five earned runs in three of his last four games, especially struggling at home in Tampa. He will get a chance to bounce back in his next outing, which is scheduled to be in a divisional matchup in Toronto on Tuesday.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
May 8, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher
Jeff Hoffman had a rough ninth inning in Anaheim, blowing the save and taking the loss on Wednesday night. Hoffman entered the game with a 4-2 lead but gave up a walk and two singles before getting an out. He struck out
Taylor Ward but gave up a three-run double to
Jorge Soler that flipped the 4-2 lead into a 5-4 defeat with one swing of the bat. Hoffman was charged with three runs on three hits and took his first blown save and his first loss of the year. The loss drops his record to 3-1 on the year with seven saves in 16 games. Hoffman also gave up three runs on Tuesday night in a non-save situation, and this could be growing into a developing issue for the Blue Jays' bullpen
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
May 8, 2025
Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher
Emilio Pagan bounced back from Tuesday's blown save with a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday night against the Braves. He allowed a single to
Michael Harris II but struck out
Eddie Rosario to end the game to preserve a one-run victory. That strikeout was one of Pagan's two punchouts in the ninth inning. He is up to 20 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings and is 0-1 with a 2.60 ERA, 3.73 FIP, and 0.63 WHIP. He has converted nine of his 11 save opportunities and also picked up a hold. He remains the main option in the back end of the Reds' bullpen and should be a good source of saves, especially if the Reds' offense can get back on track.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
May 8, 2025
Detroit Tigers third baseman/shortstop/outfielder
Javier Baez went 2-for-5 out of the ninth spot of the team's batting order on Wednesday night in Denver, picking up four RBI and scoring a run in the team's 8-6 extra-inning victory. Baez has re-emerged as a fantasy option this season, hitting .313 with three homers and a .364 wOBA in 29 games. He has become the team's regular center fielder over the past few weeks and has hit safely in each of his last eight games with an at-bat, going 14-for-33 (.424) with four doubles, three homers, and a .544 wOBA during that hot streak. After a few miserable seasons, this is quite the turnaround for Baez, who can be a nice boost to your fantasy team for the waiver wire while he stays so hot.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
May 8, 2025
Houston Astros shortstop
Jeremy Pena went 2-for-5 from the leadoff spot for the Astros on Wednesday night with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and four RBI. Pena's three-run blast came in the sixth inning with two outs to break the game open, expanding the Astros' lead from 3-1 to 6-1 on their way to a 9-1 victory. Pena is hitting .279 with five homers, five stolen bases, and 19 runs scored. He is on pace for career highs with a .340 wOBA, .358 xwOBA, and a 122 wRC+. The 27-year-old has become a fixture at the top of Houston's lineup card and has hit .349 since moving to the leadoff spot 10 games ago, while also hitting safely in 24 of his last 26 games. He's a nice shortstop option for fantasy baseball if you didn't land one of the superstars at the position at the start of the season.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
May 8, 2025
Boston Red Sox third baseman
Alex Bregman hit his ninth home run of the season and helped power the Red Sox past the Rangers on Wednesday night by a score of 6-4. Bregman went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI in the contest. It was his 200th career home run, and he now has a .274 career batting average and .366 career wOBA through 4,999 regular-season plate appearances. This year, he is hitting .327 in his first year in Boston with a .434 wOBA, 30 RBI, and a 49.2% hard-hit rate, per Statcast. He has been an elite offensive option at the hot corner and has lived up to the big offseason contract he signed through his first 37 games with the Red Sox.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 8, 2025
New York Mets right-handed pitching prospect
Brandon Sproat tossed five innings of one-run ball against Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday. Sproat allowed just two hits and one walk. He struck out five. The Florida product has been able to hold his own during his second look at the Triple-A level. Through 28 innings of work, Sproat has held a 4.82 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP. However, his ratios are quite inflated due to his six-run blow-up start on April 24. Removing this outing, the right-hander has posted a solid 3.16 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. Last summer, Sproat was able to make his Triple-A debut but struggled over his first taste of the level, as he held a high 7.53 ERA with a 1.64 WHIP across 28 2/3 innings of work. Given his steady progress, fantasy managers should expect Sproat to make his MLB debut in the first half of the 2025 campaign.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 8, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect
Carson Williams went 2-for-5 with two home runs and a stolen base during their contest against Triple-A Gwinnett. This was a much-needed breakout game for Williams, as he has struggled during his first extended look at Triple-A. Through 32 games this season with the Durham Bulls, the No. 8-ranked prospect in the sport according to MLB Pipeline, has held a modest .185/.313/.398 slash line with four doubles, two triples, five home runs, and six stolen bases. However, over his last four games, it appears Williams is beginning to turn the corner as he has gone deep three times and held a .263/.417/.789 line. Last summer, the top-ranked prospect in Tampa Bay spent the entire campaign at Double-A. If he continues to progress at Triple-A, Williams could push for a second-half MLB debut.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 8, 2025
Athletics left-handed pitching prospect
Gage Jump continued his impressive stretch at High-A on Wednesday evening. In this start against West Michigan, Jump tossed eight innings of one-run ball. He allowed just four hits and no walks. He struck out eight. Over his last 19 2/3 innings of work (three starts), Jump has struck out an impressive 28 batters while allowing just eight hits, one run, and no walks. However, over his first 11 1/3 innings this season (three starts), the southpaw held a 17:5 K:BB with a 6.53 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. The A's drafted Jump with the 73rd overall pick in last year's MLB Draft out of LSU. Fantasy managers should expect Jump to get the call to Double-A if he continues to impress at High-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 8, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays second base prospect
Adrian Pinto went 3-for-4 with one double, two home runs, three runs, three RBI, and a walk on Wednesday evening against High-A Spokane. This was Pinto's second-straight contest going deep. Over his past seven games, the No. 22-ranked prospect in the Toronto system has begun to heat up at the plate, posting an impressive .333/.379/.926 slash line with one double and five long balls. Prior to this power surge, the 22-year-old held a modest .231/.348/.436 slash line with just two long balls over the first 10 games of the campaign. Last season, Pinto earned a brief taste of the High-A level where he held a .200 AVG with three home runs across 17 games. Fantasy managers should expect Pinto to spend most of the 2025 campaign with High-A Vancouver.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
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