May 16, 2025
Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates will activate first baseman
Spencer Horwitz (wrist) from the injured list on Friday. Horwitz has been shelved since spring training after he underwent surgery to repair an extensor tendon in his thumb. Pittsburgh acquired him by trade last December in hopes that he'd solve their issues at first base, and he projects to be their everyday option there for the foreseeable future. The 27-year-old has only appeared in 112 games, with a bulk of that experience coming last season with the Blue Jays. He was solid for Toronto with 12 home runs, 19 doubles, 40 RBIs, and a .790 OPS over 97 contests. Horwitz didn't do anything too special during his rehab stint in the minors, but he did bat .323 with a double and a homer over 31 Triple-A at-bats.
--Alex CiullaSource: Noah Hiles
May 16, 2025
The Arizona Diamondbacks are expected to promote right-handed pitching prospect
Christian Montes De Oca to the major leagues. Montes De Oca has yet to appear in an MLB contest. Through the early part of the season, Montes De Oca has been very productive with Triple-A Reno. Across 19 innings of relief, the right-hander has posted a strong 2.37 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP. Montes De Oca has struck out 17 batters and served up just four walks. He has tallied one save and allowed just one home run. Last summer, the 25-year-old made his Triple-A debut but struggled as he posted a high 5.24 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP across 56 2/3 innings of work. Fantasy managers should expect Montes De Oca to operate in a low-leverage relief role, which will limit his fantasy upside.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Mike Rodriguez
May 16, 2025
Cincinnati Reds shortstop
Elly De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in his team's 7-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He singled, scored twice, and struck out once. The Dominican Republic native was experiencing a slight cold spell earlier in the month, but it appears he's breaking out of it, launching three long balls over his last five outings and two multi-hit efforts in his previous three. De La Cruz crushed his eighth dinger on Thursday, getting a hold of a
Bryse Wilson curveball that he sent 395 feet to left-center field. The 23-year-old is batting .256 (45-for-176), with six doubles, 31 RBI, 30 runs scored, and 14 steals. He's still striking out quite a bit (28.1%), but offers one of the better blends of power and speed amongst batters.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Cincinnati Reds outfielder
Will Benson went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 7-1 win against the Chicago White Sox. The former first-round pick rejoined the team a few days ago to fill in for the injured
Jake Fraley (calf) in right field and has done well in his stead. In five games, Benson has more extra-base hits than singles (three), smacked his first homer, stole a base, and has drawn more walks (three) than strikeouts (two). It's encouraging to see him producing right away, particularly after he hit .187 in 2024 over 343 at-bats and struck out four times in his first outing with the Reds back in April. The 26-year-old performed well with Triple-A Louisville this season, so if he can continue getting on base, maybe he sticks even after Fraley returns. His quality of contact is looking excellent right now, albeit over a small sample.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The 26-year-old hasn't displayed much power recently, with four extra-base hits in May (two doubles, two homers), but he's still been productive. Through 13 games in the month, Guerrero Jr. is batting a white-hot .354 (17-for-48), with 11 runs, six RBI, and as many walks as strikeouts (11). Furthermore, he's recorded a hit in 17 of his last 18 appearances. The Montreal native started the year off a little sluggish, but has really turned it on -- similar to how he did in 2024 before he hit .376 with a 1.128 OPS after the All-Star break. He's up to .294 now, with eight doubles, 20 RBI, 24 runs scored, and the highest walk rate of his career (14.2%).
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Cincinnati Reds second baseman
Matt McLain went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double, and an additional run scored during Thursday's 7-1 win over the White Sox. McLain has gotten off to a slow start in 2025, slashing .182/.308/.341, but the 25-year-old seems to be turning a corner. In his last nine games, McLain is 8-for-32 with a pair of home runs, six runs scored, and four stolen bases. He's now up to six home runs on the season. McLain missed all of 2024 with a shoulder injury, and he may have needed some additional time to get back into the swing of things. In 2023, during his rookie season, he slashed .290/.357/.507 in 403 plate appearances, so the production is in there, it's just taking more time for fantasy managers than they had hoped for when drafting him. McLain is a strong buy-low candidate, and those who have held on, hopefully, this recent stretch can show a sign of better things to come.
--Nicho Roessler - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman
Max Muncy was seeing the baseball well Thursday night as he went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one home run, and two runs scored and helped the Dodgers win comfortably, 19-2. Muncy got the party going for the Dodgers in this contest, hitting the first home run of the evening and putting them ahead 3-1 in the first inning. Muncy has now homered in back-to-back contests, and over his last seven games, he's gone 9-for-27 with nine RBI. The third baseman has gotten off to a brutally slow start, slashing .207/.323/.341, but he has turned it around of late. During this stretch, he has been wearing prescription glasses to help improve his vision at the plate, as he was recently diagnosed with astigmatism. Regardless of the reason behind his recent hot stretch, he is starting to find a groove and would be worth a waiver wire pickup for those looking for a corner infielder.
--Nicho Roessler - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Former three-time All-Star Rafael Furcal, who is now 47 years old, is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and missile into dwelling, vehicle, building, or aircraft for an incident that happened on Monday, court records show. MLB insider Mike Rodriguez reported this on Thursday afternoon. It was also reported that Furcal turned himself in at the Broward County Jail on Wednesday and was released on bail a short time later. More details will transpire in the coming days, but it is not the best look for the 2011 World Series champion and the all-time hits leader at shortstop for the Atlanta Braves.
--Nicho Roessler - RotoBallerSource: Mike Rodriguez
May 16, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder
James Outman hit his second long ball of the season on Thursday night in the sixth inning off
Mitch Spence to extend the Dodgers' lead to 16-2. During an evening in which the Dodgers' offense exploded and hit five home runs, Outman joined the party later in the game and finished his evening going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, one RBI, and one walk. Outman has cracked the Dodgers' lineup due to injuries to
Teoscar Hernandez and
Tommy Edman, and thus far through eight games has a .143/.250/.429 slash line with two home runs, five runs scored, and four RBI. Fantasy managers can lean on Outman as a fill-in for injuries or a streamer if he has a hot bat, but he would not be a recommended play for the long haul. Next up for Outman and the Dodgers is a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.
--Nicho Roessler - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May
16,
2025
The
Los
Angeles
Dodgers'
shortstop
Mookie
Betts
went
1-for-1
on
Thursday
with
two
walks,
three
runs
scored,
and
two
RBI.
The
Dodgers
jumped
on
top
of
the
Athletics
early
in
this
contest,
scoring
15
runs
in
read more...
May 16, 2025
San Diego Padres third base prospect Kale Fountain continued his strong start to his professional career on Thursday. Facing the Guardians' ACL affiliate, Fountain not only swiped his first professional bag but also stole four during the contest. This was only his second game of the season, not tallying a hit. However, he was still able to make a significant impact. Through his first eight games of Rookie ball, Fountain has posted an impressive .292/.400/.375 slash line with two doubles, five RBI, and a 7:3 K:BB. The Padres drafted the 19-year-old out of Norris HS in the fifth round of last year's MLB Draft. If he continues to perform well in the ACL, he should be in the mix to join Low-A in the coming weeks.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 16, 2025
Athletics outfield prospect
Henry Bolte went 3-for-3 with a triple and a home run. He also drew two walks. This was his third-straight contest tallying at least two hits in a single game. During this stretch, he has tallied six RBI, hit two triples, and swiped a bag. Overall, the No. 8-ranked prospect in the A's system has looked quite comfortable during his second taste of Double-A. Last summer, Bolte made his Double-A debut and held a modest .252/.332/.396 line with 13 doubles and four home runs across 54 games. However, Bolte has taken a significant step forward over his first 36 games of the 2025 season, posting a stellar .328/.419/.527 line with five doubles and five long balls. Given his steady progression, Bolte will likely get the call to Triple-A in the coming months.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 16, 2025
Atlanta Braves right-handed pitching prospect
Ian Mejia continued his incredible scoreless streak on Thursday against Double-A Knoxville. In this outing, Mejia logged seven shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and held a 5:2 K:BB. Since allowing four runs over his first six innings of work (two starts), the No. 23-ranked prospect in the Braves system has logged 30 2/3 straight scoreless innings. During this stretch, Mejia has struck out 24 batters and allowed 20 hits and 10 free passes. Last summer, Mejia spent most of the 2024 campaign with Double-A but held a high 3.47 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. If Mejia continues to perform well, he should contend for an early-season promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 16, 2025
Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed pitching prospect
Cristian Mena turned in his best start of the Triple-A campaign on Thursday against Sugar Land. The right-hander logged five 1/3 innings of work and did not allow a run. He served up just two hits and one walk. He struck out seven batters. This was a strong bounce-back outing for Mena as he posted a high 8.53 ERA with a 1.74 WHIP over his last 19 innings (four starts). During this stretch, the No. 13-ranked prospect in the Arizona system held a 24:8 K:BB and allowed five long balls. Mena was given a brief taste of the majors this season and logged three 2/3 shutout innings. If Mena continues to find his footing at Reno, he should be in the mix to have a more extended stint in the majors.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 16, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect
Justin Crawford went 2-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base during Thursday's contest against Triple-A Syracuse. This was Crawford's first long ball of the Triple-A regular season. This outing also extended his current hitting streak to three games. During this stretch, he has tallied at least one extra-base hit in each contest. Through 36 games this season, Crawford has been swinging a hot bat at Triple-A, holding a stellar .316/.379/.428 slash line with 10 doubles and two triples. Crawford has swiped 13 bags and held a 35:16 K:BB. The former 17th overall pick should be in the mix to make his MLB debut in the coming weeks given his impressive start to the season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
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