May 17, 2025
Washington Nationals outfielder
James Wood stayed hot at the plate in Friday's 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, going 2-for-4 with a single, his 12th home run of the season, two RBI, and two strikeouts as the designated hitter out of the three-hole. Wood has been very productive for his fantasy managers in his first full season in the big leagues, hitting .273/.366/.540 with a .906 OPS, 12 homers, 11 doubles, 27 RBI, 25 runs scored and five stolen bases in 46 games played. The 22-year-old's home run in the eighth inning was a big one, as it tied the score up at three apiece in the eventual win. Wood now has 11 multi-hit games on the year and has improved in the month of May, hitting .317/.379/.533 with three home runs, six RBI and two steals in 66 plate appearances. He's a must-start in fantasy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 17, 2025
The New York Mets announced on Saturday that they reinstated infield prospect
Ronny Mauricio (knee) from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse. Mauricio's rehab assignment has ended, but he's going to need more time in the minors after missing all of last season while recovering from multiple surgeries for a torn ACL. The 24-year-old is considered the team's No. 9 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, but he probably won't be a realistic option to return to the big leagues until some point in the second half of this season. He went 4-for-32 during his rehab assignment and hit .248 (25-for-101) with two homers, nine RBI, seven steals and 11 runs scored in 26 games during his MLB debut back in 2023. Mauricio has intriguing power upside but needs to clean up his plate discipline to succeed at the next level. He's strictly a stash option in dynasty/keeper leagues at the moment.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
May 17, 2025
Los Angeles Angels third baseman
Yoan Moncada (thumb) left the 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night early after he seemed to aggravate his thumb injury on a swing in the top of the ninth inning, according to the Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher. Manager Ron Washington said it's something that is going to happen whenever he swings and misses in a certain way (usually at breaking balls). Moncada went 1-for-5 with his third home run of the season, two RBI and two strikeouts in the contest before leaving late and being replaced by
Kevin Newman. The 29-year-old oft-injured infielder missed almost a month earlier this year with a right-thumb sprain, so he could be headed back to the injured list. If he were to miss extended time again, the Angels could use Newman and
Tim Anderson at the hot corner.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
May 17, 2025
Seattle Mariners right-hander
George Kirby (shoulder) made his third minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma on Friday night and allowed four earned runs on 10 hits (two home runs) while walking none and striking out four in four innings pitched. While the results weren't all that great for Kirby in this one, the primary takeaway is that he didn't suffer any setbacks with his shoulder and hit 97.5 mph with his four-seam fastball. The 27-year-old hasn't been a big strikeout guy to this point of his career, but he's useful in fantasy for his pinpoint control, and he has yet to walk any of the 21 batters he's faced so far on his rehab assignment. Kirby is getting closer to making his 2025 season debut, but he only threw 64 pitches on Friday night, so it would make sense for the M's to give him one more rehab start. If Kirby is available on your league's waiver wire, pick him up now.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
May 17, 2025
Atlanta Braves outfielder
Ronald Acuna Jr. appeared in his second minor-league rehab game with Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday night and went 0-for-2 at the plate with two walks and two runs scored while playing right field and hitting leadoff for the Stripers. Acuna homered in his first rehab game in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and had two hits (one double) in his first contest with Gwinnett on Thursday. The 27-year-old played six innings in right field on Friday as he recovers from a torn left ACL last year. The Braves still have no official timetable for Acuna's return to the big leagues, but they aren't going to rush him back until he's ready to play full games in right field on a daily basis, so it could be at least another week or two. Fantasy managers need to remain patient on the former MVP, but he could once again be a difference-maker when he makes his 2025 debut.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
May 17, 2025
Texas Rangers third baseman
Josh Jung went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Astros. He was the only Ranger to get multiple hits in the game and has recorded multiple hits in four of his last six games. The former first-round draft pick is hitting .291 on the year, with 18 RBI and 15 runs scored in 37 games played. With a .361 wOBA and 135 wRC+, the right-handed hitter has been productive, so hopefully he can remain healthy for the remainder of the campaign after being limited to only 46 games in 2024 and missing time on the IL once already earlier this year. The 27-year-old has career bests in contact rate, strikeout rate, and barrel rate thus far, and he'll take on the Astros'
Ronel Blanco on Saturday, whom he is 3-for-3 off of in his career, with a walk, a double, and a home run.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 17, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Alexander Canario went 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Friday's 8-4 loss to the Phillies. The 25-year-old is now riding a seven-game hit streak, with the last three going down as multi-hit efforts. Without any minor league options remaining, the Pirates are giving Canario a shot at regular at-bats after acquiring him from the Mets in exchange for cash earlier this season. It got off to a rough start, going 2-for-27 (.074) over his first 12 games with the club, but over the last 11 games, the Dominican is 13-for-38 (.342) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, and five runs scored. The 6-foot-1 slugger has big-time power, as evidenced by a 37-homer campaign in the minors back in 2022, but had struggled mightily with strikeouts in the majors prior to this season, registering a 42.2 percent K% heading into 2025. He's lowered that to 25.0 percent this year, which could make him an intriguing waiver option if he keeps hitting.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 17, 2025
Seattle Mariners catcher
Cal Raleigh went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run, and two runs scored in Friday's 5-1 win over the Padres. The switch-hitter is up to 14 home runs on the year, and with a 99th-percentile 22.7 percent barrel rate, expect many more to come. The 28-year-old is now the author of a .250/.371/.571 slash line with a .402 wOBA and a 170 wRC+ through 43 games played, even swiping five bags thus far (career high is six). It all makes the 6-foot-2 backstop the highest-scoring catcher for fantasy, and he'll take on the Padres'
Nick Pivetta on Saturday, whom he is 4-for-10 off of in his career with three of those hits going for home runs, which makes Raleigh a viable -- albeit expensive -- DFS option for that contest.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 17, 2025
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Corbin Burnes posted his third straight quality start in Friday's 8-0 win over the Rockies. The veteran tossed six shutout innings, yielding two hits and three walks while striking out a season high 10 batters on the way to earning his third win of the season. The righty is now 3-1 and the performance lowered his ERA to 2.56 with a 1.25 WHIP and an 11.1 K-BB%. The 6-foot-3 hurler's strikeout rate has been dwindling since 2020, and his 11.6 percent walk rate this year is easily a career worst, but the 4x All-Star has been able to strand runners (80.8 percent LOB%) and limit damage. Burnes has been better at home (1.48 ERA) than on the road (3.80 ERA), and his next turn through the rotation will bring a tough matchup with the Dodgers in Los Angeles, so he may not be a DFS option for that contest on Wednesday.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 17, 2025
San Francisco Giants first baseman/designated hitter
Wilmer Flores had a career night on Friday, going 3-for-5 with three home runs and eight RBI in a 9-1 win over the Athletics. It was the third consecutive game with multiple hits, and he's now up to 10 home runs for the season. What's a bit more surprising and a big reason why the Giants are off to such a good start is that the right-handed hitter is up to 41 RBI on the year, which puts him tied with
Aaron Judge for the most in baseball. The 33-year-old owns a .266/.318/.468 slash line with a .344 wOBA and 120 wRC+ so far, but he'll take on the A's and
Luis Severino on Saturday, whom he is 0-for-7 off of in his career.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 17, 2025
Seattle Mariners infield prospect
Cole Young went 3-for-7 with a double, a triple, and a home run during Friday's contest against Triple-A Albuquerque. Young tallied four RBI and two runs. Over his last 12 contests, Young has been swinging a hot bat, posting a .426/.509/.872 slash line with five doubles, two triples, four home runs, with a 5:6 K:BB. Last season, the No. 3-ranked prospect in the Seattle system spent his entire campaign with Double-A. Across 124 games, Young posted a strong .271/.369/.390 slash line with 25 doubles, nine home runs, and 23 stolen bases. Given his steady play at Triple-A this season, fantasy managers should continue to monitor his development as he should be in the mix to make his MLB debut this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 17, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter
Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Angels. The reigning NL MVP has now homered in three straight and has five multi-hit efforts in his last seven games. That gives him 16 home runs on the season and pushes the 4x All-Star's season-long slash line to .316/.416/.690 with a .459 wOBA and 197 wRC+, which also puts him at the top of the NL MVP race again. The left-handed slugger ranks behind only
Aaron Judge in fantasy scoring so far this season, and although the Dodgers face a lefty on Saturday, Ohtani could be used in DFS as he surprisingly has a better batting average against LHP this season than he does against RHP (.352 vs. .299). This particular lefty,
Tyler Anderson, Ohtani is 4-for-7 off of in his career, with three triples and a home run.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 17, 2025
Minnesota Twins infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI during their contest against Double-A Peoria on Friday evening. This extended his current hitting streak to five games. During this stretch, Culpepper has swiped three bags, held a 6:2 K:BB, and scored seven runs. Through the first 25 games of the High-A regular season, Culpepper has been very productive at the plate, holding a .304/.398/.490 slash line with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, and seven stolen bases. Last season, the No. 4-ranked prospect in the Twins system made his professional debut and posted a .242/.330/.394 line across time at Low-A and High-A. If Culpepper continues to perform well, he should be in the mix to join Double-A in the coming months.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 17, 2025
Chicago Cubs infield prospect
Matt Shaw went 3-for-5 with two home runs during their contest against Triple-A St. Paul on Friday evening. This was Shaw's second time hitting at least two home runs over his last three contests. Over his last eight contests, the former 13th overall pick has been swinging a hot bat, posting a strong .400/.486/.1.033 slash line with two doubles, one triple, and five home runs. During this stretch, Shaw has swiped three bags and held a 3:4 K:BB. The Maryland product was able to crack the Opening Day roster but was eventually optioned to Triple-A following his slow start. However, fantasy managers should expect Shaw to be in the mix to return to Chicago quite early in the season, given his strong play. Shaw carries five-category upside and is worth stashing in all standard formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 17, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies infield prospect
Aidan Miller went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, and a stolen base during Friday's contest against Double-A New Hampshire. This performance extended Miller's hitting streak to four games. During this stretch, Miller has posted two multi-hit games and swiped four bags. Through 31 games at Double-A this season, Miller has held a modest .229/.331/.364 slash line with four doubles, four long balls, and 12 stolen bases. However, given his recent surge at the plate, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the system could be turning the corner at Double-A Reading. Last summer, Miller spent most of the campaign with Low-A and High-A. Given his slow start, fantasy managers should not expect Miller to contend for a first-half Triple-A promotion.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
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