56 mins agoCleveland Cavaliers guard
Donovan Mitchell (ankle) practiced fully on Thursday, indicating that he will be 100 percent ready when the team begins its playoff campaign on Sunday. The six-time All-Star sat out the final four regular-season games due to an ankle injury. Mitchell has proven himself as a highly productive playoff performer and will be expected to make a deep run with his team after the Cavaliers dominated the regular season. For his postseason career, Mitchell has averaged 28.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals in 37.6 minutes.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Camryn Justice
1 hour agoAthletics starting pitcher
JP Sears seemingly had no issues on the mound during Thursday's game against the Chicago White Sox. Sears was excellent as he tossed six scoreless innings allowing only three hits and two walks in the win. The southpaw only struck out two batters, but fantasy managers will still take this kind of outing. Sears has now earned three quality starts over his first four starts of the season. He'll take a 3.13 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, with 18 strikeouts into his next start against the Texas Rangers. This should be a more challenging matchup for Sears, but he's still worth a look in standard 12-team formats.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
1 hour agoMilwaukee Bucks point guard
Damian Lillard (calf) has been cleared of deep vein thrombosis and is no longer on blood-thinning medication. This marks a significant step in his return to the lineup. Although Lillard is expected to be out for Saturday's Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers, his comeback appears to be around the corner. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said on Thursday that there is a "very good chance" Lillard will play in the postseason. The nine-time All-Star averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.2 steals during the regular season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 hour agoChicago White Sox catcher
Edgar Quero made his MLB debut against the Athletics on Thursday. The 22-year-old earned himself a promotion after going 17-for-51 across 15 games in Triple-A this season. He had an underwhelming debut as he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the loss to the A's. It was a tough day for the White Sox as a whole considering they only got four hits and were shutout on Thursday. The assumption is that Quero is going to be the everyday catcher now that he got called up. Right now, Quero is probably only worth a look in deep leagues or AL-only formats.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
1 hour agoMiami Heat guard/forward
Pelle Larsson (ankle) is considered questionable for Friday's play-in action against the Atlanta Hawks. Larsson was also uncertain for Wednesday's matchup against the Chicago Bulls but was upgraded to available ahead of tip-off. However, he did not receive any playing time off the Miami bench. The Swedish rookie has been nursing an ankle sprain recently, which sidelined him for three games at the end of the regular season. With the Heat squad now relatively healthy, it seems unlikely that Larsson will play a significant role during the postseason.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 hour agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitcher
Tomoyuki Sugano didn't have too many problems on the mound during Thursday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. The right-hander gave up back-to-back home runs in the third inning. Outside of the two homers, Sugano pitched extremely well on the mound here. He tossed seven innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out three batters in the win. This was arguably his best start of the season, so hopefully he can keep it going. He'll take a 3.43 ERA across 22 innings into his next start against the Washington Nationals. Sugano isn't a must-have fantasy option, but is worth a look in deep leagues and AL-only formats right now.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
1 hour agoMiami Heat forward/center
Kevin Love (conditioning) remains questionable on the injury report ahead of Friday's clash against the Atlanta Hawks. Love missed the end of the regular season due to personal reasons and is currently focused on regaining the conditioning necessary to return to play. During the postseason, Love's experience could be a valuable asset for the Heat; however, his productivity has been relatively low this campaign. Love averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds during the regular season, appearing in only 23 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 hour agoPhiladelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Cristopher Sanchez had his swing-and-miss stuff going during Thursday's game against the San Francisco Giants. The southpaw gave up a run in the first inning, but he settled down nicely after that. Sanchez finished the day tossing seven innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out 12 batters in the win. Sanchez has an impressive 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 31/6 K/BB ratio across four starts this season. The 12 strikeouts is a career-high for Sanchez who isn't really known as a strikeout pitcher. His next start will come against the New York Mets next week. Sanchez should be rostered and started in basically all fantasy formats right now.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
1 hour agoMiami Heat forward
Nikola Jovic (hand) has been listed as questionable for Friday's play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks. The 21-year-old is making progress toward his return to the lineup, but he may miss another game on Friday due to a fractured hand. Jovic's inclusion in the lineup would provide an additional frontcourt option for the Heat, who have been without the England-born Serbian since late February. During the regular season, Jovic averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 25.1 minutes, primarily coming off the bench.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 hours agoDallas Mavericks point guard
Brandon Williams (oblique) is listed as probable for Friday's play-in matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. The 25-year-old is dealing with a left oblique strain but managed to play through the injury on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings. Williams impressed with 17 points and five assists in 18 minutes off the bench. Before Wednesday's game, Williams was listed as questionable on the injury report, so he appears to be making progress in his recovery. Williams will be in a good spot to replicate his Wednesday performance since Memphis allows the fourth-most bench points in the league.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 hours agoAthletics first baseman
Tyler Soderstrom has been on another level early in the season. Soderstrom showed that he had pop in the minors, but he has been putting up video game numbers in April. On Thursday, Soderstrom blasted his league-leading ninth home run of the season during the blowout victory over the Chicago White Sox. The 23-year-old has nine homers and 18 RBI and we're not even to Easter yet. The expectation is that he'll slow down at some point, but until then Soderstrom needs to be rostered and started in all fantasy formats.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
2 hours agoAtlanta Hawks center
Clint Capela (hand) will remain sidelined for Friday's play-in finale against the Miami Heat. The veteran big man has been out since March 10 with a left hand injury, and it remains uncertain when Capela can return to the lineup. Atlanta will continue to lean on
Onyeka Okongwu in the middle. In the matchup against the Heat this season, Okongwu has averaged 15.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 hours agoSeattle Mariners outfielder
Randy Arozarena was the hero for his team during Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Arozarena tied the game with a home run off right-hander
Emilio Pagan in the ninth inning. He would later hit a two-run single in the 10th inning to help extend the lead to 10-7. That would be enough as the Mariners were able to take this game 11-7 in 10 innings. Arozarena finished his day 2-for-4 with a double, homer, 3 RBI, and two walks in the victory. His slash line isn't pretty, but Arozarena is heating up with five hits over his last three games.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
2 hours agoAtlanta Hawks point guard
Trae Young (Achilles) is listed as probable for Friday's play-in game against the Miami Heat. He will likely be upgraded to available ahead of tip-off once again, as has happened throughout the campaign. Young is coming off a 28-point effort in Tuesday's loss to the Orlando Magic, during which he was ejected for receiving two technical fouls. He needs to maintain his composure better on Friday night and score more efficiently. On Tuesday, Young was the top scorer in the game but shot only 8-for-21 from the field and 1-for-5 from deep.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 hours agoDallas Mavericks forward/center
Anthony Davis (adductor) is likely to suit up for Friday's matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, as the team considers him probable for the game. Davis remains on the injury report due to his left adductor strain, but he took on his usual workload in Wednesday's win over the Sacramento Kings and appears to be fully healthy. The 10-time All-Star had a team-high 27 points in 35 minutes, along with nine rebounds, one steal, and three blocks as the Mavericks advanced to Friday's winner-takes-all clash.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Corbin Carroll has been one of the hottest hitters early in the 2025 season. He went 1-for-5 in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Miami Marlins to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and also added an RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases despite striking out three times. The 24-year-old stole both second and third base in the first inning. The former first-rounder is now hitting .321 with a 1.065 OPS, six home runs, 17 RBI, 18 runs scored and four stolen bases in his first 19 games in 2025. During his 10-game hitting streak, Carroll has gone 17-for-44 (.386) with 11 RBI, 12 runs scored and nine extra-base hits. Carroll was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2023 before struggling to a .231 batting average last year, although he still hit 22 homers and stole 35 bases. If he keeps this up all year, he could easily be the fantasy MVP.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoMemphis Grizzlies point guard
Ja Morant (ankle) has been officially listed as questionable for Friday's play-in game against the Dallas Mavericks. Morant's status is iffy after he hurt his right ankle in Tuesday's loss to the Golden State Warriors. Following the game, the Grizzlies superstar said that he will play in Friday's do-or-die contest, but he missed Thursday's practice, and the team considers him a game-time decision. Losing Morant would be a significant blow to Memphis' hopes of winning and making the playoffs. His absence is set to elevate the fantasy value of
Scotty Pippen Jr..
Vince Williams Jr. and
Luke Kennard might also benefit, depending on who fills Morant's spot in the first unit.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 hours agoPittsburgh Pirates left-hander
Andrew Heaney had a nice bounce-back outing on Thursday to help sweep the visiting Washington Nationals at PNC Park, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings with five hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts to win his first game of the season in a 1-0 ball game. It wasn't an eye-popping stat line when all was said and done, but Heaney induced a lot of weak contact and was efficient while throwing 95 pitches. The 33-year-old southpaw let up four earned runs in six innings in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds his last time out, but outside of that outing he's been strong in his first season in Pittsburgh. Heaney's strong effort on Thursday lowered his season ERA to 2.13 with 22 strikeouts and six walks in his first 25 1/3 innings pitched. While he shouldn't be counted on as a big strikeout guy, Heaney can continue to be a productive fantasy streamer in the right matchups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoFree-agent right-handed reliever
Hector Neris signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday. Neris began the season in the Atlanta Braves' bullpen but allowed five earned runs on five hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out one in just an inning of work before he was designated for assignment. The 35-year-old veteran chose free agency after clearing waivers and has now latched on with the Halos. For the time being, he'll most likely report to Triple-A Salt Lake and serve as minor-league relief depth for the Angels. Neris saw a drop in his strikeout rate and swinging-strike rate last year with the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros despite winning 10 games and recording 18 total saves. He has 107 career saves over 12 big-league seasons, but his days as a high-leverage reliever are likely over.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Lindsay Crosby
3 hours agoThe Cincinnati Reds announced on Thursday that they placed infielder
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (back) on the 10-day injured list with lower-back inflammation and recalled infielder
Noelvi Marte from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. With Encarnacion out,
Jeimer Candelario will move to first base and
Santiago Espinal will start at the hot corner on Thursday against the visiting Seattle Mariners. Although Encarnacion-Strand had an RBI double on Wednesday, he started the season going 9-for-57 (.158) with two home runs, five RBI and 13 strikeouts in 15 games played. Hopefully, he'll look better when he gets over his back injury, but it's unclear if he'll have a short stay on the IL. Espinal figures to benefit the most from a playing-time perspective at third base, but Marte could share starts with him at the hot corner.
UPDATE: CEH will receive an epidural injection to calm his back down.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Cincinnati Reds
3
hours
agoThe
Minnesota
Twins
are
expected
to
call
up
consensus
top-100
prospect
Luke
Keaschall
from
Triple-A
St.
Paul
this
weekend
to
provide
lineup
help
with
injuries
mounting
early
in
the
season,
a
team
source
told
The
Athletic's
Aaron
Gleeman.
Third
baseman
read more...
3 hours agoPhiladelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson said after Thursday's 6-4 win over the San Francisco Giants in the series finale that outfielder
Brandon Marsh (knee) is day-to-day and is not considered a candidate to land on the injured list. Marsh was held out of the starting lineup on Thursday with a minor knee injury. The 27-year-old's knee is probably the least of his worries right now after a 4-for-42 start to the season with a home run, five RBI and 16 strikeouts in his first 17 games. He's currently hitless in his last 31 at-bats and probably could have used the day off, regardless of whether he was dealing with an injury. Marsh should eventually break out of his early-season funk, but if he continues to struggle,
Johan Rojas will see more playing time in center field in Philly. Rojas came into Thursday's game hitting .278 (5-for-18) with no homers and a stolen base.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Matt Gelb
3 hours agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder
Nick Castellanos (hip) was lifted from Thursday's series-finale win over the San Francisco Giants due to left hip-flexor tightness, according to the team. Castellanos was lifted in the seventh inning of the eventual 6-4 victory, with
Max Kepler moving to right field and
Edmundo Sosa entering the contest in left field. Before departing, the 33-year-old veteran 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and a strikeout. The good news is that manager Rob Thomson said after the game that Castellanos should be good to play for Friday's series opener at Citizens Bank Park against the division-rival Miami Marlins. It's good news for the Phillies outfield with
Brandon Marsh also dealing with a knee injury. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if Castellanos is back in there on Friday. He's off to a hot start, as he entered Thursday's game hitting .303 with three homers and 11 RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Matt Gelb
4 hours agoWashington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (rest) will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The versatile blue-liner rested on Tuesday against the New York Islanders. Chychrun also recently missed time due to an illness and has played in only one of the last four games. On Thursday, he should receive a heavy workload to help him get back into game shape, as the Capitals are going with only five defensemen. Chychrun ranks third among all blue-liners with 20 goals and has totaled 47 points in 73 games this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bailey Johnson
4 hours agoCalgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson (rest) will miss Thursday's finale against the Kings, ending his 100 percent appearance record in 2024-25. The year was a mixed bag for Andersson, as he matched his career high with 11 goals but finished with 31 points, his lowest total in four seasons. He is also set to finish with one of the league's worst plus/minus ratings, having gone minus-38 over 81 games. The Flames defense will also miss Jake Bean (rest) and Joel Hanley (rest) on Thursday, allowing Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz to get their first taste of NHL action.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pat Steinberg
4 hours agoCalgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau (rest) is expected to miss Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames have nothing left to play for, and some players, including Huberdeau, will be held out of the lineup for rest purposes. Following a couple of disappointing 50-point campaigns, Huberdeau improved in 2024-25, finishing the year with 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) in 81 games. However, he still needs to do much more to justify his eight-year, $84 million contract, the largest in franchise history. With Huberdeau out on Thursday, Aydar Suniev is set to make his NHL debut on the first line.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pat Steinberg
5 hours agoNew York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock (undisclosed) will not play in the team's regular-season finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. This means Pulock ends his 2024-25 campaign with 23 points (five goals, 18 assists), 97 shots, 155 blocks, and 100 hits in 74 games. The season has been tough for the team, and Pulock was mediocre all year. Adam Pelech (undisclosed) also won't play against the Blue Jackets, and Alexander Romanov (illness) may remain out, meaning we will see more of Scott Perunovich and Scott Mayfield. Mike Reilly and Adam Boqvist are filling the gaps in the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Andrew Gross
5 hours agoOttawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (rest) will re-enter the lineup on Thursday as the team wraps up its regular season schedule with a home game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Sanderson missed his second game of the season on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks when he was rested. 2024-25 has been a breakout campaign for Sanderson, who has tallied 55 points (11 goals, 44 assists) in 79 outings. With Thomas Chabot (rest) and Artem Zub (rest) leaving the lineup on Thursday, Sanderson should have plenty to do against Carolina alongside Nick Jensen (rest), who is returning from a two-game absence.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce Garrioch
5 hours agoOttawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (rest) will not play on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 28-year-old will get some time off to rest ahead of the postseason. Chabot will step out of the lineup while riding high on an impressive six-game point streak, during which he has collected three goals and seven assists. For the season, Chabot has notched 45 points (nine goals, 36 assists) in 80 contests. Artem Zub (rest) will also sit out Thursday's game, while Jake Sanderson (rest) and Nick Jensen (rest) will return to the fold.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Julian McKenzie
5 hours agoOttawa Senators forward Claude Giroux (rest) will rejoin the lineup for Thursday's regular-season finale against the Carolina Hurricanes. Ottawa rested Giroux for Tuesday's matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. This marked his first absence of the year. Giroux has had a decent 50-point campaign, recording 15 goals and 35 assists in 80 outings. He will return to the top line on Thursday, joining Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle, and is projected to work on the second power-play unit. 18 of Giroux's points this season have come with the man advantage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce Garrioch
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