15 hours agoChicago Cubs right-hander
Jameson Taillon (back) experienced back stiffness while throwing on Tuesday and was shut down/pushed back from his scheduled start on Friday in Pittsburgh for the series opener against the Pirates. Manager Craig Counsell said it's not as bad as Taillon's spring training back issue, but it's something to watch. There's a chance that Taillon could start on Sunday in Pittsburgh, but the Cubs aren't making anything official and will see how he feels on Saturday. If the 32-year-old veteran doesn't feel good enough to start on Sunday, there's a chance the Cubs will play it safe and send him to the injured list for the second time this year. It's bad timing after being scratched from a good matchup against the Bucs, as Taillon is currently 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 24 innings over his first four starts of the year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Tribune - Meghan Montemurro
15 hours agoMinnesota Twins starting pitching prospect
Zebby Matthews made his Double-A debut on Thursday and tossed 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball (zero earned runs). He allowed just three hits and matched a season-high of nine strikeouts. After posting a dominant 1.59 ERA and 0.75 WHIP through 22 2/3 innings at High-A to open the season, the 23-year-old was moved up to Double-A and has yet to slow down. The 20th-ranked prospect in the Minnesota pipeline is not projected to reach the major leagues until 2025 but could be worth adding in dynasty leagues if he continues to silence Double-A bats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
15 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever
Evan Phillips (hamstring) played catch on Friday and continues to progress from his Grade 1 right-hamstring strain. Phillips has been on the 15-day injured list for only five days and should be ready to return when he's eligible on May 19 since he's not dealing with any kind of injury to his arm. As the closer out of the Dodgers' bullpen when healthy, the 29-year-old needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats despite missing some time with a hamstring injury. Before going on the shelf, Phillips was sporting a fantastic 0.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, eight saves, four walks and 17 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings in 2024. Since Phillips has been injured, both lefty
Alex Vesia and veteran righty
Daniel Hudson have picked up saves. Hudson is the better bet for more saves until Phillips is eligible to return.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: 570 LA Sports - David Vassegh
15 hours agoSan Diego Padres right-hander
Joe Musgrove (elbow) was able to play catch at Petco Park on Friday after having some imaging done on his right elbow. Everything came out looking good on his tests, and he's still expecting a minimum stay on the 15-day injured list. It's the first time that Musgrove has played catch since landing on the injured list last Sunday with right-elbow inflammation. If he doesn't have any setback, the 31-year-old veteran could return to the Padres' starting rotation next Friday. Fantasy managers probably will want to avoid throwing him right back into their starting lineups when he returns. After finishing last year on the sidelines due to an injury, Musgrove has gone 3-3 with a bloated 6.37 ERA and 1.51 WHIP with a league-high 10 home runs allowed, 13 walks and 36 strikeouts in 41 innings over eight starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Jeff Sanders
15 hours agoKansas City Royals starting pitching prospect
Chandler Champlain posted another strong outing on Thursday with six shutout innings, only allowing three hits and striking out seven. After posting a hefty 6.27 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in his four starts of the season, the 24-year-old has begun to find his stride. In his recent two outings, he has tossed eleven innings to the tune of an 0.82 ERA and 0.55 WHIP. This is a big step for Champlain as he not only struggled against Double-A pitchers through the early part of this season but posted a disappointing 3.82 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 73 innings at this level last season. The eleventh-ranked prospect in the Kansas City pipeline is projected to make his major league debut in 2025 but could be worth adding in dynasty leagues if he reaches Triple-A by the end of the summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
15 hours agoTampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that right-hander
Pete Fairbanks (arm) is back from his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham and is likely to be activated from the injured list this weekend. Fairbanks pitched a scoreless inning with Durham on Thursday and has apparently recovered from a nerve issue in his right arm. The 30-year-old former ninth-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2015 out of Missouri was likely being affected by his right-arm injury early on this year when he posted a bloated 9.00 ERA and 2.29 WHIP with 10 strikeouts in seven innings before landing on the injured list. Fairbanks also had three saves and should return to being Tampa's primary closer once he is reinstated from the IL. If Fairbanks was dropped in your league and he's still available, pick him up immediately.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
15 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers shortstop prospect
Austin Gauthier was promoted to Triple-A earlier this week and is already producing. In his third game with Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 25-year-old launched a solo shot which was his first at Triple-A and his fifth across the entire 2024 season. Through a small sample size at Triple-A, Gauthier posted an excellent .455/.600/.909 line with a stellar 4:2 BB:K ratio. With the way the 25th-ranked prospect in the Dodger system is swinging the bat, he could be making his major league debut sooner rather than later. Due to how fast he is approaching a promotion, he should be rostered in deeper dynasty formats and could become worth stashing in redraft leagues very soon.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
15 hours agoSeattle Mariners second baseman
Jorge Polanco is getting a breather on Friday in the series opener against the visiting Oakland Athletics.
Josh Rojas will get the start at the keystone for the M's as a result and will hit leadoff against A's right-hander
Paul Blackburn.
Luis Urias is at third base and is batting ninth for the M's. Polanco is in need of a little break after recording only two hits in 18 at-bats with seven strikeouts in the recent four-game series this week against his former team, the Minnesota Twins. The 30-year-old Dominican switch-hitter's poor recent stretch has dropped his season slash line to a weak .182/.291/.299 with five home runs, 13 RBI and 14 runs scored in 137 at-bats. Rojas continues to get more playing time around the diamond for Seattle after his .348/.417/.533 start at the plate in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Seattle Sports - Shannon Drayer
15 hours agoNew York Mets starting pitching prospect
Brandon Sproat pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a hard-luck loss on Thursday. He struck out eight and allowed just two hits and three free passes. This was his longest outing of the season. The 23-year-old now has an excellent 1.07 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 25 1/3 innings in his first professional season. The former Florida Gator has been dominating High-A and is making the case to be moved up to Double-A this summer. However, the Mets may lean on the side of caution for their young prospect, who is not projected to reach the major leagues until 2026.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
16 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals right-hander
Keynan Middleton (forearm) threw off a mound again on Friday at Busch Stadium and will start a minor-league rehab assignment next week, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Middleton will report to either Double-A Springfield or Triple-A Memphis. The 30-year-old reliever is getting close to being able to make his 2024 debut with the Cardinals, and he should return to a key late-inning, high-leverage setup role in front of closer
Ryan Helsley. Middleton is eligible to come off the 15-day injured list on May 17, a week from Friday. At the very least, Middleton could be worth a waiver-wire pickup in deep holds leagues after he posted a 3.38 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, two saves and a career-high 64 strikeouts in 50 2/3 relief innings in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - John Denton
16 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals left-hander
Steven Matz (back) played catch off the mound at Busch Stadium on Friday, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Matz will throw at a much higher intensity on Monday. Matz is dealing with a protruding disc in his lower back and was placed on the 15-day injured list a week ago with a lower-back strain. Given the severity of the 32-year-old veteran southpaw's injury, fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't be expecting Matz to return when he's eligible to come off the IL. In addition to Matz's pretty serious injury, he wasn't good in his six starts before getting hurt, going 1-2 with a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with only 17 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. Matz probably isn't worth holding onto in shallow-mixed fantasy leagues at this point.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - John Denton
16 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Brendan Donovan and second baseman
Nolan Gorman are both out of the lineup on Friday with the team facing Milwaukee Brewers rookie left-hander
Robert Gasser, who is making his major-league debut. Rookie
Michael Siani is starting in center field and is batting ninth, while
Jose Fermin is at second base and hitting leadoff for the Cardinals on Friday night. Donovan has struggled so far this year, hitting .217 (31-for-143) with four homers and 19 RBI. Gorman has been even worse, slashing .172/.256/.319 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 116 at-bats. Fermin will be a deep DFS sleeper on Friday night out of the leadoff spot. The 25-year-old Dominican has three hits in only 11 at-bats in eight games this year after making his MLB debut in 2023.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Belleville News - Jeff Jones
16 hours agoThe Milwaukee Brewers acquired right-hander
Mitch White from the San Francisco Giants on Friday in exchange for cash considerations and designated right-hander
Corbin Martin for assignment in a corresponding move. White started the year with the Toronto Blue Jays and is now on his third organization in the first month and a half of the year. The 29-year-old will likely be a swingman for Milwaukee after recording a rough 7.63 ERA (5.71 FIP) and 1.76 WHIP with nine walks and seven strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings with the Blue Jays and Giants this year, all of which have come out of the bullpen. If the former second-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 out of Santa Clara makes any starts for the Brewers because of their banged-up rotation, White will merely be a shaky deep-league streaming option in fantasy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milwaukee Brewers
16 hours agoThe Milwaukee Brewers placed right-hander
Joel Payamps on the bereavement list on Friday. In other moves, the Brewers selected left-hander
Robert Gasser's contract from Triple-A Nashville, recalled right-hander
Janson Junk from Nashville, optioned
read more...
16 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers closer
Devin Williams (back) is scheduled to start playing catch within the next two weeks, according to manager Pat Murphy. Williams has a checkup with a doctor for his back injury in the coming days. The Brewers' bullpen took a big hit when it was announced that the 29-year-old All-Star closer wouldn't be ready to make his 2024 debut until around the All-Star break due to a serious back issue that has been bothering him for a while. The good news is that Williams appears to be making progress. Given how elite he's been as a closer when healthy, he should be stashed in an injured list spot in all fantasy formats.
Joel Payamps and
Abner Uribe have been called on in a few save situations, but as of right now,
Trevor Megill is the favorite for saves in Milwaukee with Williams still out of the picture.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Curt Hogg
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