2 mins agoNew York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (illness) is back at DH and is batting cleanup for the Mets on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Ben Lively. Martinez was held out of Sunday's lineup in the series finale against the Miami Marlins due to flu-like symptoms but is feeling good enough to return to action against a pitcher he's never faced in his career. The 36-year-old right-handed slugger got a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the Mets late. He opened the year playing in minor leagues to get his timing at the plate down, and it seems to have worked, as he's currently hitting .315/.359/.466 with two home runs in his first 21 games of the season. Fantasy managers will want to get the veteran DH back in their starting lineups to begin the week.Source: MLB.com
6 mins agoSan Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) was removed from the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves with a left-shoulder injury, but preliminary imaging came back negative. It's good news for now, but the Padres are awaiting further results. Even if Bogaerts avoids a serious injury, he's out of Game 2 of the double dip in Atlanta on Monday and could miss more time heading into Tuesday's series opener against the Reds in Cincinnati. The 31-year-old injured his shoulder while diving for a ball up the middle. For now, fantasy managers will want to consider him day-to-day until further notice. Luis Arraez is at second base and batting leadoff in Game 2 of the doubleheader. Before getting hurt on Monday, Bogaerts went hitless in his lone at-bat to drop his season average to a weak .219. Both Arraez and Tyler Wade are options to play the keystone if Bogaerts misses extended time.Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Acee
52 mins agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfield prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr. (thumb) is expected to miss the next few months due to a torn ligament in his right thumb that he suffered on April 24. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Rincones could return to Double-A Reading in July. Last year, Rincones was drafted by the Phillies in the third round after he mashed 19 home runs in just 58 games at Florida Atlantic University. This year, he was playing extremely well through 60 plate appearances with Double-A Reading, slashing .300/.417/.600 with three doubles, four home runs, four steals, and 11 walks. Unfortunately, what was hoped to be a year of significant progression will likely be spent rehabbing and readjusting. Rincones is mainly an injury stash in dynasty leagues for now.Source: The Athletic
1 hour agoLast year, Tampa Bay Rays outfield/first base prospect Tre' Morgan was drafted out of Louisiana State University in the third round. Since then, he's been excellent in the minor leagues. He began the 2024 season with Low-A Charleston. He slashed .320/.398/.440 with 19 runs, four doubles, two home runs, and nine stolen bases across 115 plate appearances. As a result, he was called up to High-A Bowling Green on May 15. Since then, he's slashed .520/.626/.1000 with five doubles, a home run, a walk, zero strikeouts, and a stolen base. Morgan is the Rays' 13th overall prospect, expected to make his MLB debut sometime in 2026.Source: Baseball Reference
2 hours agoSeattle Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford went 4-for-4 with a triple and a stolen base against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Sunday night. After a decent April, wherein he slashed .218/.371/.410 with six doubles and three home runs in 97 plate appearances, the 21-year-old catcher has been outstanding in May. Through 67 plate appearances this month, he's hitting .340/.478/.528 with three doubles, two triples, and one homer. Overall, Ford has displayed excellent power and advanced plate discipline for a player his age. Through 35 games, he only has three more strikeouts (32) than walks (29). Ford is ranked #28 on MLB's top-100 prospects list and is expected to make his MLB debut sometime next year.Source: Baseball Reference
2 hours agoIn 2023, Chicago White Sox shortstop prospect Brooks Baldwin posted impressive numbers in 93 minor-league games. Splitting time between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem, he slashed .269/.349/.460 with 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBI, and 42 walks. As a result, he was assigned to Double-A Birmingham to begin the 2024 season. So far, Baldwin has been even better. Through his first 155 plate appearances, he's slashing .353/.439/.474 with 10 doubles, two home runs, 21 RBI, and 19 walks. Despite the dip in his home-run rate, Baldwin has shown he can excel at the Double-A level. At the beginning of the season, he was just the 24th overall prospect in the White Sox's farm system, according to MLB.com. If he keeps playing well, he'll almost certainly climb the leaderboards.Source: Baseball Reference
2 hours agoThe Cleveland Guardians designated outfielder Ramon Laureano for assignment before the team's series opener against the New York Mets. Laureano was off to a rough start in 2024, hitting just .143 with one home run and four RBI across 31 games. The 29-year-old outfielder also had just two hits over his last 31 plate appearances. He should now have the opportunity to sign with any team as a free agent. Johnathan Rodriguez will take his place on the active roster after the team called him up on Monday.Source: Mandy Bell
2 hours agoChicago White Sox starting pitcher prospect Drew Thorpe was dominant through his first six starts in 2024. In 35 2/3 innings with Double-A Birmingham, he had allowed just 21 hits, four runs (1.01 ERA), and nine walks while collecting 33 strikeouts. However, in his seventh start, he gave up three runs in the first inning against Pensacola Blue Wahoos and was pulled after just two outs. Fortunately, Thorpe bounced back on Saturday against the Chattanooga Lookouts, throwing 5 2/3 shutout innings, collecting seven strikeouts, and allowing just two hits and two walks. Overall, the 23-year-old right-hander has a 1.50 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 3.08 K/BB through his first eight appearances. Thorpe is a likely candidate to pitch in majors this season, making him a solid prospect stash in redraft formats. Source: Baseball Reference
2 hours agoThe Tampa Bay Rays officially reinstated infielder Brandon Lowe (oblique) from the 10-day injured list. Lowe last appeared in a game on April 7 before he landed on the IL with an oblique injury. As a result, expect the Rays to give the slugger some days off here and there in the coming days since he's been out for more than one month. The second baseman, though, should eventually see an everyday role when a right-hander starts on the mound. He was hitting .185 at the plate with one home run and four RBI in eight games before his injury.Source: Tampa Bay Rays
2 hours agoThe Tampa Bay Rays placed Zach Eflin (back) on the 15-day injured list before the team's three-game set against the Boston Red Sox. Eflin likely injured his back in his most recent outing on May 18 against the Toronto Blue Jays, where he gave up four runs on nine hits with three strikeouts across six innings. The right-hander has struggled in the early part of the season, giving up at least three earned runs in four of his last five outings. He will now head to the IL with a 4.12 ERA and 44 strikeouts across 10 starts.Source: Tampa Bay Rays
3 hours agoThe New York Mets officially activated pitcher Tylor Megill (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list. Megill went on the IL in late March with a shoulder strain after tossing four innings of one-run ball against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 31. Monday will mark his second start of the season, and his first since that March 31 outing. In his first start back, expect the right-hander to be on somewhat of a pitch count. However, he could be a nice streaming option against the Cleveland Guardians. He threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his last rehab start in Triple-A. To activate him, the Mets optioned pitcher Grant Hartwig to Triple-A Syracuse.Source: New York Mets
3 hours agoToronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer will bat sixth against the Chicago White Sox on Monday. Springer started the season as the Blue Jays' leadoff hitter, but his recent struggles at the plate have pushed him down in the order. He will bat sixth for the third straight game, where he has seen some success. The 34-year-old went 1-for-2 with one double, one RBI, and two walks in Sunday's 5-2 win. Hitting the veteran lower in the order should result in more RBI opportunities, and Toronto is hoping it helps him turn a corner on offense. He is batting just .201 with three home runs and eight RBI this season.Source: MLB.com
3 hours agoSan Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts left Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves early after injuring what appeared to be his shoulder on a diving attempt in the bottom of the third inning. Bogaerts immediately favored his shoulder before trainers took him off the field. With a quick turnaround, it's safe to say that the veteran will likely not be available for Game 2. Tyler Wade took his spot at second base in the third inning, and he could see more playing time if Bogaerts misses an extended time.Source: Kevin Acee
4 hours agoCincinnati Reds left-hander Alex Young (back) has allowed just one unearned run over eight relief appearances and 8 1/3 innings during his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville. Young also pitched on back-to-back days on Saturday and Sunday and worked a scoreless inning in both games. The 30-year-old southpaw reliever begin his rehab assignment on May 2 after being out all year to this point in the majors due to lower-back disc degeneration. It explains why the reliever has been extended on his rehab assignment, but he has to be getting close to returning to Cincinnati's bullpen at this point. When healthy, Young gives the Reds another lefty arm in their bullpen. In his first year with the Reds in 2023, Young had a 4-2 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, his first career save, 20 walks and 50 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings pitched.Source: MLB.com
4 hours agoCincinnati Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson (shoulder) made his second minor-league rehab start on Sunday with Triple-A Louisville and allowed an earned run, five hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings (56 pitches. In his first rehab start on May 14 with High-A Dayton, Williamson threw three scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and four strikeouts while throwing 38 pitches. Barring any setbacks, the 26-year-old is getting very close to rejoining the Reds and could be back with the team before the end of May. The former second-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2019 out of Texas Christian University made his major-league debut in 2023 and went 5-5 with a 4.46 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 39 walks and 98 strikeouts in 117 innings over 23 starts. When he returns, it remains to be seen if he'll have a rotation spot waiting for him in Cincy.Source: MLB.com