12 mins agoCincinnati Reds starting pitcher Frankie Montas picked up the win in Thursday's 8-2 Opening Day victory over the visiting Washington Nationals, hurling six scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Montas allowed four harmless singles before his strong 2024 debut ended, and the Reds wouldn't look back after taking a commanding 7-0 lead during the third frame. After missing all but one appearance with the New York Yankees in 2023 following right shoulder surgery, the 31-year-old Dominican right-hander could be ready for a fresh start on a one-year prove-it deal in Cincy. So far, so good for Montas, but the former Oakland Athletics ace will face a much stiffer test in his next scheduled start next Wednesday on the road against Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies. He'll be a complete fade for fantasy purposes in that one.Source: ESPN
18 mins agoPittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Jose Hernandez collected a surprising Opening Day save in Thursday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Miami Marlins, throwing a clean 12th inning to slam the door in extras. Just recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day, Hernandez tallied his first career save in this one. With David Bednar (lat) unavailable out of Pittsburgh's bullpen, the Pirates used Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning, Luis L. Ortiz in the 10th and 11th frames, and Hernandez in the 12th. With that said, fantasy managers shouldn't expect Hernandez to get much high-leverage work once Bednar is ready to pitch again, so the 26-year-old Dominican left-hander looks like a bit of a fool's gold pickup on waiver wires. Chapman would be the favorite for saves if Bednar misses time beyond Opening Day. Hernandez managed a pedestrian 4.97 ERA (4.48 FIP), 1.36 WHIP, and 62:22 K:BB through 50 2/3 frames last year.Source: ESPN
26 mins agoMinnesota Twins relief pitcher Griffin Jax secured an Opening Day save in Thursday's 4-1 victory over the division-rival Kansas City Royals, firing a hitless ninth inning to close out the win. Filling in for the injured Jhoan Duran (oblique), Jax did make things somewhat interesting by walking Bobby Witt Jr. before facing the heart of KC's order, but he retired the next three hitters. Duran will be on the shelf for at least the first two weeks of the campaign, so Jax should stay atop the depth chart until at least mid-April. The 29-year-old right-hander was excellent as a setup man for the Twins in 2023, registering a 3.86 ERA (2.86 xERA), 1.17 WHIP, and 68:19 K:BB across 65 1/3 frames a season ago. Currently rostered in 57% of Yahoo leagues, Jax should not be floating around any fantasy waiver wires as the clear-cut favorite for saves out of Minnesota's bullpen in the interim.Source: ESPN
35 mins agoNew York Yankees closer Clay Holmes hung on for an Opening Day save in Thursday's 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Houston Astros, allowing three hits in the ninth inning. It certainly wasn't easy, as Holmes gave up a leadoff knock to read more...
43 mins agoChicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet fared well in his first major-league start on Thursday, launching six innings of one-run ball on six hits with eight strikeouts, but he took a tough-luck loss in the 1-0 Opening Day defeat to the Detroit Tigers.read more...
52 mins agoChicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (hamstring) exited during the fifth inning of Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers with an apparent left-hamstring injury. Steele went down after fielding a bunted ball and flipping it to first base, favoring what appeared to be his left hamstring. The 28-year-old southpaw was throwing well against an explosive Rangers lineup, giving up a lone run on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts before departing, and the severity of the injury remains unknown. It would be a big blow to Chicago's rotation if their ace and 2023 All-Star needs to miss time beyond Opening Day, and fantasy managers will have to hold their breath until the Cubs update Steele's status. The flame-throwing Julian Merryweather took over after Steele's exit.Source: Sahadev Sharma - The Athletic
1 hour agoPittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said closer David Bednar (lat) was unavailable in Thursday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Miami Marlins as part of his rehab from the lat issue he dealt with during spring training. Fantasy managers may have thought Bednar was over the injury after the 29-year-old right-hander was able to make two Grapefruit League appearances to close out the spring, but Bednar is still nursing the problem. It puts his availability into question for Friday's game against Miami as well, but it sounds like the All-Star stopper is just day-to-day. While Jose Hernandez ended up nabbing an Opening Day save on Thursday, it needs to be noted that Aroldis Chapman was summoned for the ninth inning and retired to top of the Marlins' batting order. Chapman is worth a speculative add on waiver wires until Bednar is out of the woods health-wise.Source: Jason Mackey - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
2 hours agoThe Arizona Diamondbacks officially placed outfielder Randal Grichuk (ankle) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to March 25) on Thursday. Grichuk is recovering from right-ankle surgery to remove bone spurs in January, but he is with Triple-A Reno and will play center field for the first time in his recovery process at some point this weekend. It sounds like he won't need much time before being ready to go. The 32-year-old didn't take part at all in any spring training games but will get some work in the minors before eventually being activated from the IL and brought to Arizona as outfield depth. Grichuk is first eligible to come off the IL on April 5. Because the veteran outfielder won't see much playing time, he's only a bench asset in NL-only fantasy leagues.Source: Arizona Diamondbacks
3 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) could throw off a mound within the next five to seven days. Lovullo called Rodriguez's progress so far "very encouraging." A strained left shoulder landed E-Rod on the injured list to begin the year in his first season with Arizona, but it's looking like he may not be out for long. Still, there's a good chance that the 30-year-old veteran southpaw will miss most, if not all, of April. His injury allowed both Tommy Henry and Ryne Nelson to make the club's Opening Day roster, although the Snakes also recently added lefty Jordan Montgomery in free agency. After fortunately posting career-bests in ERA (3.30) and WHIP (1.15) in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers, fantasy managers should be expecting some regression from the oft-injured Rodriguez.Source: The Arizona Republic - Theo Mackie
3 hours agoMinnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (leg) left Thursday's Opening Day contest early against the Kansas City Royals after fouling a ball off his right leg. Matt Wallner entered the game to replace Kepler in right field. Before leaving the game, Kepler went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The 31-year-old left-handed slugger was at least able to finish out his at-bat after fouling the ball off his leg, but fantasy managers will have to check back for more information on Kepler's injury. It's not the start that he was looking for after a strong season in 2023 in which he hit .260/.332/.484 with an .816 OPS, 24 home runs and 66 RBI in 130 games. Injuries have been an issue for Kepler before, but hopefully this one doesn't keep him out for long, if at all. If Kepler misses extended time, Wallner would be in line for more playing time in right field.Source: MLB.com - Do-Hyoung Park
3 hours agoWashington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (thumb) suffered a broken thumb while fielding a ground ball before Thursday's Opening Day contest against his former team, the Cincinnati Reds, according to a source familiar with the injury. The 28-year-old former first-rounder has not lived up to his draft stock in his first five years in the big leagues, mainly due to injuries, and he's now looking at an extended absence in 2024 in his first year in D.C. Ildemaro Vargas got the start at the hot corner for Washington in the Opening Day loss to Cincy and will see more playing time now to open the season, making him worth picking up in NL-only leagues. Trey Lipscomb, the club's No. 16 prospect per MLB Pipeline, could get called up from the minors earlier than expected as well.Source: The Washington Post - Andrew Golden
3 hours agoDetroit Tigers reliever Jason Foley picked up the save in a 1-0 win over the White Sox on Thursday. It was Foley who entered the game with one out in the bottom of the ninth, not the team's projected closer Alex Lange, with Foley striking out the only two batters he faced. Lange had his share of struggles last season and his grip on the closer role was tenuous, but neither pitcher had much success this spring. It's unclear at this point why Lange didn't pitch, as offseason additions Shelby Miller and Andrew Chafin also got work in Thursday's game. Regardless, it seems Jason Foley could be in line for additional save opportunities after Thursday's performance and will be a popular waiver wire add.Source: ESPN
4 hours agoDetroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal earned the win in Thursday's 1-0 Opening Day victory over the White Sox. Skubal allowed three hits and no walks while striking out six batters in six innings of work. After a dominant 2023, expectations for the 27-year-old were sky-high, and the lefty delivered in his first outing of the 2024 season. His next turn could come next Wednesday against the Mets in New York as he looks to make good on his NFBC ADP of 50th overall.Source: ESPN
4 hours agoThe Baltimore Orioles' prized offseason acquisition and Opening Day starter Corbin Burnes tossed six innings of scoreless ball on Thursday, securing the win in an 11-3 victory over the Angels. The three-time All-Star struck out 11 batters and didn't allow a walk. The only blemish was a solo homer given up in the first inning to future Hall of Famer Mike Trout. Sometimes it plays out just the way you drew it up -- the O's get off on the right foot in their defense of last year's American League East division title, and Burnes rewards fantasy managers who spent a second-round pick on the 29-year-old with a masterful start to the season. Burnes' next start could come at home next Wednesday against the Royals.Source: ESPN
4 hours agoMinnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (quadriceps) was taken out of the game in the third inning of Thursday's Opening Day matchup against the division-rival Kansas City Royals. The 24-year-old came up limping as he rounded third on a Carlos Correa double. At least it's not his surgically repaired knee, but this is certainly not good news, especially for someone with his injury history. Lewis ended last season on a roll and started 2024 off with a bang, hitting a home run in his first at-bat of the season and followed that up with a single before being pulled from the game. We'll expect to find out the extent of the injury after the game.Source: Pioneer Press - Betsy Helfand