11 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn will not start on Friday in Philadelphia against the Phillies. In his place, veteran Brandon Crawford will start at shortstop and will hit eighth against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola. Not only is Crawford hard to trust as a deep DFS sleeper in the eight-hole, but he's hit just .176 with three RBI in 17 career at-bats against Nola. The Cardinals are giving Winn a day off in the series opener in Philly despite the fact that he's currently riding an 18-game hitting streak. During his 18-game streak, the 22-year-old youngster has gone 25-for-68 (.368) with two home runs, seven doubles, 11 RBI, two stolen bases, three walks and six strikeouts in 72 plate appearances to raise his season slash line to .308/.358/.440. Winn has become a must-start player in all fantasy leagues in 2024.Source: MLB.com
11 hours agoAtlanta Braves starting pitching prospect Ian Mejia followed up his worst outing of the season, when he allowed five earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings, with a seven-inning scoreless gem on Thursday. He allowed just three hits and struck out three batters. This recent performance now marks the fifth start this season where Mejia did not surrender an earned run. Through 49 2/3 innings with Double-A Mississippi, the former 11th-round selection has posted career-highs with a 1.45 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 17:57 BB:K. While Mejia's blowup start did occur in his Triple-A debut, he has looked dominant at the Double-A level and should be given another opportunity in Triple-A later this summer. Mejia will become a name to monitor in dynasty leagues when he gets an extended opportunity with Triple-A Gwinnett.Source: MiLB.com
11 hours agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfield prospect Jordan Viars posted his first three-home run game on Thursday, where he tallied an incredible nine RBI. Viars has remained with Single-A Clearwater for 122 total games but is beginning to find his footing and is on pace to post season-highs in most major categories. Through 31 games this season, the 20-year-old has posted a .260/.376/.510 line with six long balls and 24 RBI. Last summer, in 83 games at the same level, he tallied only six home runs with a much worse .214 AVG. Viars remains several seasons away from his major league debut but could become a name to monitor as he is nearing the end of his stint with Single-A.Source: MiLB.com
11 hours agoSan Francisco Giants left-hander Ethan Small (oblique) is "still a ways away" from returning, manager Bob Melvin said on Tuesday. Small has not responded well to throwing after suffering a moderate right-oblique strain. He was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason and was in the running for a bullpen spot before suffering the injury during spring training. The 27-year-old southpaw is on the 60-day injured list and may struggle to make it back before the All-Star break at this rate. Small made a full-time move to a relief role last year with the Brewers but only pitched in relief in two games in the majors, allowing five earned runs on nine hits with two walks and six strikeouts in four innings. He's allowed 10 earned runs in just 10 1/3 innings for Milwaukee since debuting in 2022.Source: MLB.com
11 hours agoSan Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said on Tuesday that right-hander Keaton Winn (forearm) is "getting close" and could be an option for the team the next turn through the starting rotation. Winn walked off the mound with team trainer Dave Groeschner after his velocity began to dip in the fifth inning in the loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 14. MRI results showed a mild strain of his right forearm. Winn was able to throw two bullpen sessions recently, most recently with 45 pitches on Monday. The 26-year-old could come off the 15-day injured list sooner than later, potentially avoiding a minor-league rehab assignment since his injury wasn't all that serious. If Winn avoids a rehab assignment, his next start could come in a plus matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on next Monday or Tuesday. Winn was 3-6 with a bloated 6.17 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in nine starts before getting hurt.Source: MLB.com
11 hours agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater (concussion) cleared the concussion protocol and started a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday. Slater suffered a concussion after running into the center-field wall while trying to make a catch in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park on May 10. He continued to experience fogginess and blurry vision the next day, which prompted the Giants to put him on the seven-day concussion injured list. After missing more than two weeks due to his head injury, the 31-year-old is finally feeling better and has returned to game action. If he continues to progress, Slater could be an option to be activated and rejoin the team this weekend. When healthy, Slater is an option for the short side of a platoon in San Fran's outfield against lefties. He's gone just 5-for-39 (.128) on the year with no homers.Source: MLB.com
11 hours agoDetroit Tigers infield prospect Kevin McGonigle has been dominant through his first 38 games at Single-A. In 26 games this season at Single-A Lakeland, the 19-year-old has posted a stellar .340/.436/.505 line with two home runs, 17 RBI, eight stolen bases, and an 18:14 BB:K ratio. In his past eight games, the number four prospect in Detroit has tallied at least one hit in each of the games and brought in 11 total runs with an 8:5 BB:K ratio. McGonigle showed similar production in his 12 games at Single-A last summer with a .350/.438/.475 line. McGonigle currently sits as the number 99 prospect in all of baseball on MLB Pipeline and should be able to climb those ranks rather quickly as he progresses through the minor leagues.Source: MiLB.com
11 hours agoSan Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed (wrist) started taking batting practice on Wednesday and has also started taking ground balls on the field as he ramps up his baseball activities. Ahmed was forced from the game on May 9 in the loss to the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning after he took an awkward swing in his previous plate appearance. The 34-year-old veteran had been experiencing pain in his wrist since taking a 108 mph liner off his wrist during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 27. An MRI exam on May 10 revealed his wrist sprain. It's uncertain if Ahmed will go on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the Giants. With Marco Luciano (hamstring) day-to-day, Brett Wisely heads into this weekend's games as San Fran's primary shortstop with Ahmed still on the IL. When healthy, Ahmed is more of a glove guy than a fantasy asset for his offense.Source: MLB.com
11 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman has been performing well since being moved down to Triple-A and should be back up in the major leagues fairly soon. Through nine games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 27-year-old has posted a .333/.524/.567 line with two home runs, four RBI, two stolen bases, and a 10:13 BB:K ratio. Outman had a big game on Thursday where he tallied three hits, including a home run, and brought in two runs. The former seventh-round pick struggled at the plate during the early part of the season and posted a poor .147/.250/.266 line, which resulted in his demotion. However, Outman is looking much more comfortable since taking some time in the minor leagues and is worth stashing in deeper redraft leagues as he could still provide fantasy managers with a solid combination of power and speed when he returns to Los Angeles.Source: MiLB.com
11 hours agoOakland Athletics right-hander Luis Medina (knee) gave up two runs and struck out six in 3 2/3 innings in his third minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, throwing 44 of his 72 pitches for strikes. Medina's fastball averaged 97 mph and topped out at 100.2 mph. He rejoined the big-league club on Thursday and made it through a bullpen session prior to the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Medina could now be activated from the injured list during this weekend's series against the Braves in Atlanta. The hard-throwing 25-year-old appears to have recovered from his Grade 2 MCL sprain, but it remains to be seen if the A's will use him as a starter or reliever when he's back. Medina has intriguing pure stuff, but his lack of control is pretty concerning.Source: MLB.com
12 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals starting pitching prospect Quinn Mathews bounced back on Thursday with six shutout innings and allowed just three scattered hits with no free passes. He struck out six. In his previous start, he allowed a season-high five earned runs and five hits. Overall, the 23-year-old has looked quite strong in his first look at High-A with a 2.84 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, and 3:24 BB:K ratio. Mathews opened the season with Single-A but only needed to log 30 ⅔ innings to the tune of a 1.47 ERA and 0.82 WHIP to prove he was ready for High-A. MLB Pipeline projects the Stanford product to reach the majors next season. The southpaw is worth following closely in dynasty leagues as he has yet to hit a significant roadblock through his first season of professional ball and is showing that he can round back into form following a disappointing start.Source: MiLB.com
12 hours agoOakland Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn (foot) was still in a walking boot as of Tuesday. Manager Mark Kotsay said that Blackburn will probably be re-evaluated when the team returns to Oakland to open its next homestand on June 4 against the division-rival Seattle Mariners. Blackburn was placed on the injured list with a right-foot stress reaction and doesn't appear to be very close to a return. The 30-year-old's IL stint is retroactive to May 11, but as of right now, it looks like he won't return to the A's until the middle of June. At best, Blackburn will be deep-league streaming option when the matchups are right when he's healthy. Before injuring his foot, he went 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA (4.16 FIP) and 1.15 WHIP with 36 strikeouts and 13 walks in 46 innings over his eight starts.Source: MLB.com
12 hours agoOakland Athletics right-hander Joe Boyle (back) allowed four runs on four hits while walking four and striking out three in 2 1/3 innings in his second minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday. He threw 25 of his 43 pitches for strikes and averaged 100.1 mph with his four-seam fastball, which he threw 28 times. Manager Mark Kotsay said that Boyle feels like he has "turned a corner" with his back injury, which put him on the 15-day injured list on May 6. The 24-year-old didn't even record an out in his first rehab start last week, so Wednesday's outing was definitely an improvement. The A's are probably going to have Boyle make another rehab start or two, but the hard-throwing right-hander is nearing a return. Boyle had struggled in seven starts before his back injury cropped up, posting a 7.16 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with 29 K's and 23 walks in 27 2/3 innings for the A's.Source: MLB.com
12 hours agoCleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) appears to be on the verge of being reinstated from the 10-day injured list. The 26-year-old outfielder went 1-for-2 with an RBI, three runs scored, a stolen base and two walks in a minor-league rehab game with Triple-A Columbus on Thursday. Kwan played in two games for High-A Lake County before moving his rehab assignment to Columbus. If the Guardians have seen enough from Kwan in the minors, they could certainly activate him from the injured list in time to return to the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Washington Nationals. Once he's back, Kwan will be a must-start in all fantasy formats. The former fifth-rounder in 2018 out of Oregon State uses a contact-based approach at the plate and is currently slashing an exceptional .353/.407/.496 with a .903 OPS in 133 at-bats in 2024.Source: Milb.com
12 hours agoNew York Yankees right-hander Cody Poteet (finger) will make the start on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants after the Yankees placed right-hander Clarke Schmidt (lat) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday. Poteet had been dealing with a blister on his finger at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but manager Aaron Boone said he's good to go for this weekend. The 29-year-old had a quality start and a win in his lone start in the big leagues for the Yankees this year, allowing one earned run while walking none and striking out four in six innings against the Cleveland Guardians on April 13. At Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he's gone 3-0 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 38:11 K:BB in 33 1/3 innings over seven starts. Poteet should be sufficiently stretched out and will only be worth a look as a fantasy streamer in much deeper leagues.Source: New York Post - Greg Joyce