44 mins agoBoston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela blasted a two-run home run for his first HR of the season in the Red Sox 8-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rafaela was starting at shortstop as Boston works to cover the absences of Trevor Story and Rafael Devers. Rafaela had a very subpar start to the season with just a .464 OPS coming into Friday, so hitting a bomb was a good sight to see for Rafaela and the Red Sox. The 23-year-old may not hold much current fantasy value but may be worth a stash in deeper leagues for fantasy managers who are willing to be patient. Rafaela will look to be in Boston's lineup tomorrow night vs Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller.Source: MLB.com
56 mins agoPhiladelphia Phillies starting pitching Spencer Turnbull took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and recorded a win in the Phillies 7-0 victory on Friday night. Turnbull struck out six and only yielded one hit to Gavin Sheets to end his no-hit bid. The righty bounced back from a so-so start in his last outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates and continued a very strong start to his 2024 campaign. Turnbull now has a 1.23 ERA in four starts and is posting up a 0.77 WHIP. Fantasy managers are certainly going to be interested in adding Turnbull if he's available on the waiver wire. By expected stats we can expect some negative regression to come his way, but at a 3.39 xERA the negative regression won't hit him too hard. Turnbull is worth the addition to your roster, even if it's just stashing him for a little longer. His next start will be Wednesday at Great American Ballpark against the Cincinnati Reds.Source: MLB.com
1 hour agoPhiladelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm blasted two three-run home runs to record six RBI and two runs in the Phillies' 7-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. Both of Bohm's HR came in his first two at-bats and was all the Phillies would need to win the game. The 27-year-old bumped his OPS up to .834 on the season and is outpacing his 2023 season when he posted just a .727 OPS. Bohm will look to continue his solid homestand on Saturday night when he gets to face White Sox right-hander Michael Soroka.Source: MLB.com
1 hour agoCincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo had a strong outing on Friday and picked up the win in the Reds 7-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Lodolo struck out six batters and gave up just one run in 6 1/3 innings. He did give up seven hits, but that was his only blemish on the day as none of the hits yielded much damage. The 26-year-old now has two good starts in a row after returning from a tibia injury that held him out of major league action for nearly a year. He'll look to notch another strong start on Wednesday when he faces the Philadelphia Phillies, though fantasy managers may want to temper expectations as the Phillies have been strong against lefties this season.Source: MLB.com
2 hours agoChicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon recorded a win in his season debut on Friday in the Cubs 8-3 victory over the Miami Marlins. Taillon struck out four and gave up one earned run in five innings in his return. The 32-year-old had been recovering from back tightness since early March. It was good for the Cubs and fantasy managers to see Taillon start off on the right foot and start to bounce back from a slightly subpar 2023. He'll have a much tougher test in his next scheduled start on Wednesday night when the Cubs host the Houston Astros.Source: MLB.com
2 hours agoCincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz ran circles around the Los Angeles Angels on Friday in the Reds' 7-1 victory. De La Cruz went 2-4 with a three-run homer and a single. He also recorded three RBI, two runs and three stolen bases. It was his first game with multiple stolen bases this season and the second time in his career he has recorded three stolen bases in a game. The 22-year-old also raised his OPS to 1.002 on the season, a significant bump over his .710 mark last season. De La Cruz now has hit a HR in back-to-back games and will look to continue his hot streak on Saturday against Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval.Source: MLB.com
2 hours agoHouston Astros outfield prospect Jacob Melton is riding a disappointing .211/.262/.263 slash line across his first 10 games at Double-A this season. The top prospect in the Houston system launched 23 long balls last year but is having a power outage to begin the 2024 campaign. Melton, who has maintained a consistent .466 and .467 slugging percentage over his first two minor-league seasons, respectively, should be expected to turn things around soon. The 23-year-old is projected to make his major-league debut in 2025 but could make a case for a late-season call-up if he can continue to climb the ranks of the minor leagues.Source: MiLB.com
3 hours agoChicago Cubs infield prospect James Triantos is off to a slow start this season with a .233/.292/.349 line with one home run and six RBI. Triantos has been a great contact hitter in the minors, hitting a .272 AVG at Low-A in 2022 and a .287 AVG across High-A and Double-A last season. The former second-round pick should hope to reach Triple-A this season, as he has progressed through the lower levels of the system rather swiftly. Triantos is expected to make his major league debut in 2025 and is worth looking at in dynasty leagues, even though his arrival is far away.Source: MiLB.com
3 hours agoCincinnati Reds starting pitching prospect Rhett Lowder is dominating in his first taste of professional ball. The seventh overall pick in the 2023 Draft has made two starts, totaling nine innings with a 1.00 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, and has racked up ten punchouts. Lowder has only surrendered two free passes, one in each of his starts. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon should move up the Reds minor league system rather quickly and should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper league formats.Source: MiLB.com
3 hours agoBoston Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony is off to a strong start at Double-A this season. The 19-year-old is riding a solid .278/.333/.528 stat line with two home runs. This is a great sign to see, as Anthony did well in a small sample size at Double-A last season as he hit for a .343/.477/.543 line. However, Anthony still holds a hefty 15:3 K:BB ratio, which could hinder his development. The number two-ranked prospect in the Boston system is projected to make his major league debut in 2025 but could push for a late-season call-up if he can continue to hit the ball and lower his strikeout rate.Source: MiLB.com
3 hours agoNew York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) will remain out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The young corner infielder has been sidelined since being forced out of Tuesday's game. The organization is hopeful to avoid a stint on the injured list. Baty was able to get through a full workout prior to Friday's game. It sounds like he is making progress, but isn't quite ready to play yet. It'll be Joey Wendle at third base and batting ninth versus right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Friday.Source: New York Mets
3 hours agoSeattle Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford has struggled throughout his first 11 games at Double-A. The 21-year-old is batting a disappointing .119/.288/.190 with only three extra-base hits. The former 12th overall selection in the 2021 MLB Draft is considered one of the best catching prospects in baseball and is ranked as the number two overall prospect in the Seattle system. Ford is expected to make his major league debut in 2025 and should see time in Triple-A later this summer. Ford remains a coveted piece in dynasty and keeper leagues but will not be relevant in redraft this season.Source: MiLB.com
3 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler (elbow) needs at least one more minor-league rehab outing, according to manager Dave Roberts, which means rookie Landon Knack will stay in the team's starting rotation for at least one more start. Roberts said Buehler's execution during his rehab start on Thursday night was "not great" and that his command was lacking. The 29-year-old gave up two runs on four hits while walking four and striking out three in just 2 2/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. It's no surprise the Dodgers want to see more from Buehler before they feel comfortable letting him pitch in the big leagues for the first time since 2022. Buehler's outing on Thursday in the minors is a reminder that fantasy managers are probably going to have to be patient with him once he returns.Source: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
3 hours agoCincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (wrist) is expected to begin a rehab assignment soon. Manager David Bell said the plan is for Friedl to begin his rehab work within the next week or two. The 28-year-old has been sidelined since suffering a fractured wrist in March. The organization is hopeful that Friedl can get back on the field for the Reds around early May. He's coming off a career-best 2023 season. Fantasy managers should hold tight for a little longer as Friedl appears to be making progress.Source: Mark Sheldon
3 hours agoChicago White Sox relief pitcher John Brebbia (calf) is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. The right-hander appears to be back on track after suffering a calf injury during a game two weeks ago. It's uncertain how many outings Brebbia will need before rejoining the big league bullpen. The assumption is that Brebbia should be back before or in early May. However, Brebbia is likely going to take a backseat to Michael Kopech who appears to be the primary closer in Chicago. Brebbia should still be used in high leverage spots, but probably won't offer the same fantasy value.Source: LaMond Pope