25 mins agoThe Seattle Mariners transferred right-hander
Gregory Santos (lat) to the 60-day injured list on Thursday to open up a roster spot for infielder Leo Rivas, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma. The 24-year-old Santos has yet to make his debut with the Mariners due to a right-lat strain, although he has started a throwing program. Now that he's officially on the 60-day IL, he won't be able to return to the Mariners bullpen until at least late May. When he's healthy, Santos will be an option as a high-leverage reliever late in games as a bridge to
Andres Munoz and
Ryne Stanek, and he could even enter the picture for saves. The Dominican reliever had a career-best 3.39 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, his first five career saves, 17 walks and a career-high 66 K's in 66 1/3 relief innings in 2023 with the White Sox.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Mariners PR
55 mins agoThe Texas Rangers activated right-hander
Josh Sborz (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list on Thursday and optioned right-hander
Grant Anderson from Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move. Sborz is returning from a right rotator-cuff strain after making one minor-league rehab appearance for Double-A Frisco on Tuesday. The 30-year-old reliever had 2 2/3 scoreless innings for Texas with no walks and three strikeouts earlier this month before going on the shelf with his right-shoulder injury. Now that he's back, Sborz will return to a high-leverage relief role late in games as a setup man alongside
David Robertson and
Jose Leclerc ahead of closer
Kirby Yates. In 44 relief outings for Texas in the regular season in 2023, Sborz had a 5.50 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 17 walks and 66 K's in 52 1/3 innings.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers PR
1 hour agoChicago White Sox right-hander
Mike Clevinger is starting for Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday night. This will be Clevinger's first minor-league start after previously pitching in extended spring training to try and get stretched out after re-signing with the club on a one-year deal on April 2. The 33-year-old is scheduled to throw four innings or 60 pitches on Thursday and then move to five innings or 75 pitches in his next minor-league start. If Clevinger looks good after those two outings on the farm, he could be called up to the big-league roster and start make his 2024 debut for the White Sox early in May. The former fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2011 went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.23 WHIP while striking out 110 and walking 40 in 24 starts for Chicago last year. He'll be a deep-league streaming option, at best, once he returns to the majors.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen
1 hour agoThe Oakland Athletics placed second baseman
Zack Gelof (oblique) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 24) on Thursday with a strained left oblique and recalled infielder
Darell Hernaiz from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. Gelof was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday with the oblique injury and will now miss at least the next 10 days. Given the nature of the 24-year-old's injury, fantasy managers should be prepared to be without him for longer than 10 days. Despite playing every day for the A's in 2024 in his second big-league season, Gelof has disappointed to this point, slashing .196/.260/.337 with three home runs, seven RBI and four stolen bases in 92 at-bats. Hernaiz is getting the start at third and batting ninth on Thursday against left-hander
Nestor Cortes and the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Oakland A's Communications
1 hour agoThe Kansas City Royals placed right-hander
Alec Marsh (elbow) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with a right-elbow contusion and recalled right-hander
Will Klein from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. X-rays came back negative on Marsh's elbow after he was hit by a comebacker on Wednesday and forced to leave his start early against the Toronto Blue Jays, but he's still going to have to miss at least two weeks. It's unclear who will replace the 25-year-old in Kansas City's rotation moving forward. Klein will give the Royals some more depth in the bullpen. Marsh, a former second-round pick in 2019 out of Arizona State, should return to the Royals' rotation when his 15 days are up after going 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in his first five starts in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Kansas City Royals
1 hour agoWashington Nationals third baseman
Nick Senzel (illness) has been scratched from Thursday's starting lineup against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers with a stomach illness. With Senzel not feeling well,
Ildemaro Vargas will enter the lineup at third base and will bat eighth against Dodgers right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Senzel is hitting just .200 (5-for-25) in just eight games after beginning the year on the injured list, but he's heating up with two home runs in his last four games. Vargas, a 32-year-old switch-hitting infielder, has gone 11-for-37 (.297) this year in 13 games, but he's yet to go deep and will offer DFS managers very little upside as more of a defensive asset for the Nationals on the infield. He's added four RBI and one stolen base in his 44 plate appearances so far in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Nationals Communications
1 hour agoThe Washington Nationals reinstated catcher
Keibert Ruiz (illness) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned catcher
Drew Millas to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, according to president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo. The 25-year-old Ruiz will return to the Nats after missing 11 games with influenza and he'll be back behind the dish while hitting fifth against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ruiz appeared in two minor-league rehab games with Double-A Harrisburg this week. Before going on the injured list, he was hitting just .194 with a home run and three RBI in eight games. Ruiz will return as Washington's primary catcher, but fantasy managers may want to keep him benched until he can get going.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Nationals Communications
2 hours agoSan Diego Padres rookie outfielder
Jackson Merrill (groin) was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Colorado Rockies in the series finale with right-groin tightness. As a result,
Tyler Wade moved to left field while
Jose Azocar got the start in center field and
Eguy Rosario is playing third base. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 21-year-old youngster as day-to-day and check back on Friday to see if he's able to play in the series opener at Petco Park against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Merrill was considered the Padres' shortstop of the future while coming up through the minors, but he's been serving as the club's regular center fielder in his first year in the big leagues. He's handled himself well at the plate so far, hitting .318 (28-for-88) with a homer, 12 RBI, four stolen bases and 12 runs scored in his first 27 games at the big-league level.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dennis Lin
2 hours agoToronto Blue Jays right-hander
Bowden Francis has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to right forearm extensor tendinitis. The club has recalled left-hander
Brendon Little from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. Francis interestingly pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Jays in their loss to the Royals on Wednesday but will seemingly miss some time moving forward. The 28-year-old cracked the rotation out of spring training but struggled out of the gate and has recently pitched in a multi-inning bullpen role. He has struggled to an 8.59 ERA across five outings (two starts) while allowing four home runs in 14 2/3 innings, good for a bloated 2.45 HR/9 clip.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Hunter Goodman is in the starting lineup and will hit eighth while manning right field against the San Diego Padres and right-hander
Randy Vasquez. The 24-year-old was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in a pair of pinch-hitting plate appearances but will get his first start in the big leagues this season on Thursday. Goodman debuted with the Rockies last season but struggled to a .200 average with just one homer and one stolen base across 77 plate appearances. However, he has demolished Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .298 average with seven homers, 22 RBI, and a 1.042 OPS across 20 games so far this season. He is worth a deep-league add given the light-tower power he has displayed throughout his minor-league tenure.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Nolan Jones (back) is still out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting San Diego Padres and right-hander
Randy Vasquez. Jones was lifted from Tuesday's win due to back stiffness and did not appear in Wednesday's 5-2 loss. It's been a disastrous start at the plate for the 25-year-old who is hitting just .148 with one homer, two steals, and a .469 OPS across 96 trips to the plate. Following a 20/20 season that included a .297 batting average and a hefty .931 OPS in 106 games in 2023, Jones' early-season production has been wildly frustrating for fantasy managers who utilized a high pick on the promising youngster.
Jake Cave will once again take over in left field while hitting seventh on Thursday afternoon.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoNew York Yankees utility man
Oswald Peraza (shoulder) is "deep into his throwing program" and is hitting at the team's spring complex in Tampa, FLA, according to manager Aaron Boone. However, Boone also noted that the 23-year-old remains weeks away from playing in minor-league games. Peraza bounced between the Yankees and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, scuffling to a .191 average with two homers and a .539 OPS in 52 games with the Yankees while improving to a .268 average with 14 homers, 16 steals, and an .836 OPS at the Triple-A level. With third baseman
DJ LeMahieu leaving his minor-league rehab game with continued foot pain, Peraza could see reps at the hot corner upon his return depending on the severity of LeMahieu's ailment.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Charlie Blackmon is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's afternoon contest against the visiting San Diego Padres. It's not surprising to see the club give the veteran a spell in an afternoon game following an evening game on Wednesday in which Blackmon led off as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his club's 5-2 loss. The 37-year-old is off to a sluggish start this season, hitting .228 with one homer, one stolen base, and a .659 OPS across 86 trips to the plate. At this point, Blackmon's power and speed just aren't there and he should be left on the waiver wire in all fantasy formats, including NL-only leagues.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers third baseman
Max Muncy is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's afternoon tilt against the Washington Nationals and left-hander
MacKenzie Gore.
Kike Hernandez will take over at the hot corner and hit fifth on Thursday. It's been another excellent season at the plate for the veteran who is hitting .241 with four homers, 15 RBI, a 14.7% BB%, and an .811 OPS across 102 trips to the plate, production that grades out 25% above the league average, as per his 125 wRC+. His season has contained some swing-and-miss with a bloated 32.4% K% on the season but fantasy managers can expect that mark to drop considering his 24.8% career mark.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 hours agoHouston Astros left-hander
Framber Valdez (elbow) will come off the injured list and start on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies in Mexico City, according to manager Joe Espada. On the surface, the matchup against the Rockies is excellent. However, there are a couple reasons why fantasy managers should be hesitant to quickly throw the 30-year-old southpaw back into their starting lineups immediately. First off, Valdez has been on the injured list since April 9 with inflammation in his left elbow. Second, he's going to return to the big-league rotation without making a minor-league rehab start, which means he'll likely be limited from a pitch-count perspective. And third, he'll be extra shaky in the thin air in Mexico City.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
RADIO
