8 hours agoChicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (knee) is taking live batting practice against left-handers Drew Smyly (hip) and Jordan Wicks (forearm) on Friday. Swanson is ramping up his baseball activities this week after being put on the 10-day injured list last week with a right-knee injury. The 30-year-old's injury isn't believed to be all that serious, so he certainly has a chance to come off the IL when he's eligible on Saturday. The Cubs could really use him back, as middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) is missing his fourth straight game on Friday versus the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates with a left-hamstring ailment. Until one of Swanson or Hoerner can return, Miles Mastrobuoni will continue manning the 6 in Chicago. Swanson's fantasy managers will be hoping he can pick things up when he returns, as he was hitting just .209 (27-for-129) with four homers, 12 RBI and four steals before his injury.Source: CHGO Sports - Ryan Herrera
8 hours agoChicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is being rested on Friday and will start Friday's series opener against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on the bench. It appears to be a regular day of rest for Suzuki, who recently came back from a stint on the injured list due to an oblique injury. The 29-year-old has gone just 6-for-26 since coming back, but he was able to go deep in the team's last game on Wednesday against the Braves. Even after the rough stretch at the plate in May, the Japanese outfielder is still slashing a strong .282/.344/.482 with four home runs, 15 RBI and 16 runs scored in 85 at-bats for the Cubbies in 2024. Suzuki is a must-start in fantasy when he's in the lineup. With Suzuki out, Cody Bellinger is in right field and is batting second, while rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong will start in center field and bat eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes.Source: MLB.com
8 hours agoChicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Miles Mastrobuoni will get another start at the 6 and will hit sixth, with Nick Madrigal once again manning the keystone and hitting seventh against baseball's top prospect in right-hander Paul Skenes. Dansby Swanson (knee) is on the injured list with knee soreness, so Chicago's middle infield is thinned out at this time. The 27-year-old Hoerner is day-to-day with left-hamstring tightness but has now missed his fourth straight game. If he's unable to rejoin the Cubs' lineup this weekend, he could join Swanson on the IL. DFS gamers can probably find better options at shortstop and second base than Mastrobuoni and Madrigal, who are both light-hitting utility infielders.Source: MLB.com
11 hours agoChicago Cubs starting pitching prospect Cade Horton was recently promoted to Triple-A Iowa but has struggled since his call-up. Through three starts with Triple-A, the 22-year-old has an 8.25 ERA and, 1.67 WHIP with a mediocre 9:14 BB:K ratio. However, Horton began the season with Double-A Tennessee and dominated with a 1.10 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 2:18 BB:K ratio. Horton is considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and the second-best prospect in the Cubs system, only behind Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is already in the major leagues. Horton should be expected to contend for a position on the major league roster later in the summer but first, he has to work through these struggles at Triple-A. He should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper leagues and will be worth stashing in redraft formats later this summer.Source: MiLB.com
11 hours agoAfter riding the bench for the past nine games, Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Chris Taylor drew the start on Thursday versus the Cincinnati Reds. Taylor picked up a single in his four at-bats, but he has struggled mightily this season with five hits in 60 at-bats to go along with five RBI and a stolen base. The veteran has had a brutal start to his 2024 season and the Dodgers will have a tough decision to make ahead of Friday's contest versus the Arizona Diamondbacks with outfielder Jason Heyward (back) expected to return. Taylor has helped fantasy managers in the past, but in 2024, the versatile Taylor can be left on the waiver wire in all formats.Source: MLB.com
11 hours agoCincinnati Reds outfield prospect Jay Allen II hit his seventh home run of the season in Thursday's victory. After getting a small taste of High-A ball last season, Allen has found his fitting at this level and has posted an excellent .322/.443/.621 line with seven swiped bags through 24 games. In 25 games at this level last summer, he struggled with a .154/.260/.220 slash line with just one home run. The 21-year-old is expected to reach the major leagues sometime in 2026 but is worth keeping an eye on in dynasty as he is showing a stellar combination of both power and speed.Source: MiLB.com
12 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow tossed five innings in Thursday's loss versus the Cincinnati Reds. Glasnow struggled in the first inning with Will Benson hitting his sixth homer of the season to open up the frame and then Tyler Stephenson hitting a RBI double later in the inning. Glasnow's final line was six hits, four runs, one walk with eight strikeouts. The four runs were the most the right-hander has allowed this season and managers shouldn't worry about him have a rough outing. Glasnow will look ahead to Tuesday's start against the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks where he can look to get back on track. He remains a must-start in all matchups.Source: MLB.com
12 hours agoNew York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and a solo home run in Thursday's extra innings victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. Alonso's homer would come off Taijuan Walker in the top of the first inning and was his 10th of the season. Alonso has shown his power this season with 23 RBI to go along with his 10 homers, but he hasn't helped managers in the batting average department at .226 on the season. The upcoming free-agent continues to supply managers with plenty of strong power numbers and even with a low batting average, he offers managers plenty of value. Alonso will look to keep the power stroke going on Friday versus Jesus Luzardo to kick off a three-game series with the Miami Marlins on the road.Source: MLB.com
12 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect Jack Hurley went 3-for-5 at the plate on Thursday with a home run. Hurley got off a slow start at High-A through April but has put all those doubts to rest this month. Through the start of May, the 22-year-old has posted a .298/.370/.638 slash line compared to his .185/.264/.277 line through April. Thursday was Hurley's fifth multi-hit game of the month, and he has tallied all four of his long balls during this month. MLB Pipeline projects Hurley to reach the major leagues in 2026, but dynasty managers should continue to monitor him, as he could see time in Double-A later this summer.Source: MiLB.com
12 hours agoNew York Mets starting pitching prospect Blade Tidwell had another strong outing on Thursday as he tossed six innings of one-run ball and allowed just four hits, one free pass, and struck out six. This was a great bounce-back performance for the 22-year-old, as he had a season-high five earned runs in his previous start. Removing that one outlier performance, Tidwell has a 1.27 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and a 42:11 K:BB through 35 1/3 innings. Tidwell is ranked as the 11th-best prospect in the New York system on MLB Pipeline and is projected to reach the major leagues later this summer. All fantasy managers should monitor him, as he could be promoted to Triple-A fairly soon and is then just one step away from reaching the big leagues.Source: MiLB.com
12 hours agoBoston Red Sox starting pitcher Cooper Criswell struggled against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, on Thursday. Criswell only last 3 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, five runs (three earned), two walks and three strikeouts. It was the worst performance of the season for Criswell, and he still owns a solid 2.76 ERA with the rough performance. With starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (oblique) due back as early as next week, Criswell is likely to shift to a swingman role moving forward. Despite his good overall numbers, Criswell is unlikely to help much in the fantasy community and can be avoided in most formats.Source: MLB.com
12 hours agoNew York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana picked up a no-decision in Thursday's contest versus the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran lefty tossed 5 1/3 frames and allowed four hits, two runs, no walks and struck out four on the evening. Quintana is who he is at this point in his career and that is an innings eater. With an ugly 5.21 ERA over his first nine starts, the 35-year-old can be avoided in a tough matchup versus the Cleveland Guardians and should remain on the waiver wire in all formats moving forward.Source: MLB.com
12 hours agoColorado Rockies outfield prospect Robert Calaz has been off to a great start to the season in the Rookie League and is making a case for a promotion to Single-A. On Thursday, the 18-year-old went 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and a triple. This brings him to an incredible .406/.500/.875 slash line through nine games this season. Calaz has now tallied multiple hits in five games and has only gone hitless in two of them. He spent time in the Rookie League last season, logging 43 games with a .325/.423/.561 line. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the 11th overall prospect in the Rockies system but does not expect him to reach the major leagues for another several years. Calaz remains a name to monitor in dynasty leagues, as he could develop into one of Colorado's best young bats.Source: MiLB.com
12 hours agoPhiladelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (toe) left Wednesday's start after being hit by a liner on the foot, but he is feeling encouraged about making his next start. Matt Gelb of The Athletic has reported that Walker's toe is not broken. He also notes that it is no sure thing that Walker will make his next start, but the club will see how the right-hander is feeling on Friday. Walker got a late start to the season after dealing with shoulder pain and is 3-0 with a 4.91 ERA over his first four starts of the season. More should be known on his status on Friday, but it does not seem like a long-term injury. If Walker were to miss his next start, Spencer Turnbull would likely draw the spot start.Source: Matt Gelb
12 hours agoBaltimore Orioles infield prospect Jackson Holliday tallied two hits and his fourth home run of the season on Thursday. This brings him to a solid .283/.438/.491 line with a stellar 29:26 BB:K ratio through 27 games at Triple-A. Holliday made his major league debut earlier this season but struggled through the small ten-game sample size. Since returning to the minor leagues, Holliday has not been as dominant as he was earlier in the season with a low .234/.395/.406 slash line, but hopefully, Thursday's performance can get him back on track. Holliday is considered the top prospect in all of baseball and should be expected to return to the major leagues very soon. The 20-year-old remains a great stash candidate in all formats.Source: MiLB.com