5 mins agoChicago Cubs relief pitcher
Yency Almonte recorded his first save of the season in Tuesday's victory against the Houston Astros. Almonte got the final four outs of the contest with one strikeout and no hits or walks allowed. The Cubs bullpen has been a bit of a mess in the early goings with closer
Adbert Alzolay struggling to open the season, but managers should not expect Almonte to be the new closer with Alzolay still in the picture and
Mark Leiter Jr. and
Hector Neris ahead of him. Almonte can safely remain on the waiver wire.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
10 mins agoChicago White Sox starting pitcher
Erick Fedde suffered a tough luck no-decision on Tuesday versus the Minnesota Twins. Fedde tossed six innings for a quality start and allowed three hits, one run, no walks and struck out a career-high 11 batters. Unfortunately for Fedde, his hard work went to waste as the White Sox bullpen blew a big lead and eventually the game. Despite the White Sox having a very tough season, Fedde has been one of the lone bright spots and boasts a respectable 2.73 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP in his first five starts. Fedde won't get many wins for managers, but he can help in other categories. He is worth a look with his next matchup coming against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 hours agoDetroit Tigers closer
Jason Foley stayed perfect in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Rays, earning his seventh save. Foley came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by two and delivered a 1-2-3 performance with a strikeout. The 28-year-old has had a spotless start to the season, converting all of his save opportunities with a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA, a 9.00 K/9 rate, and a 4.91 BB/9 rate. The walk rate is higher than fantasy managers would prefer, but everything else has been fantastic.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 hours agoKansas City Royals relief pitcher
James McArthur picked up his fifth save of the season in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. McArthur came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning up by one. He got the first out on a groundout, allowed a walk, and induced a double play to end the inning. He started the ninth inning with a groundout, allowed a single, and got consecutive ground-ball outs to end the game. The 27-year-old has emerged as a useful fantasy option on a surprisingly competitive team and has now converted all but one save opportunity with a 3.09 ERA, a 9.26 K/9 rate, and a 1.54 BB/9 rate.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 hours agoSeattle Mariners catcher
Cal Raleigh continued his strong offensive start to the season in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Rangers. Raleigh went 2-for-4 with a single, a two-run home run, and two strikeouts. The 27-year-old has hit for power as expected but has also provided average, slashing .271/.350/.529 with six HR and 13 RBI in 80 plate appearances. It remains to be seen if he can keep the average up with a 30.0% strikeout rate, but fantasy managers will enjoy it as long as it lasts.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 hours agoSeattle Mariners outfielder
Julio Rodriguez finally got on the board in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Rangers. Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk, and a strikeout. The 23-year-old has started hitting for average but is still searching for power, slashing .278/.323/.344 with 10 RBI and six steals in 96 plate appearances. It's only a matter of time before he finds his power swing, so fantasy managers shouldn't be worried.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoBoston Red Sox starting pitcher
Tanner Houck continued his strong start to the season in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Guardians. Houck pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts. The 27-year-old has been excellent to start the season, going 3-2 with a 1.65 ERA, an 8.82 K/9 rate, and a 1.38 BB/9 rate in his first five starts. His next start will be a middling matchup against the Cubs, but he has pitched well enough to earn the nod in most matchups at this time.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoCleveland Guardians closer
Emmanuel Clase picked up his seventh save of the season in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox. Clase came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three and shut things down by striking out the side. The 26-year-old has looked more like his old self this season, converting all but two save opportunities with a 0.75 ERA, a 9.75 K/9 rate, and a 0.75 BB/9 rate. Clase was still a high-end fantasy option in 2023 with slightly less impressive numbers overall, so he can be even more valuable if he reverts to how he performed early in his career.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoAtlanta Braves starting pitcher
Max Fried looked like his old self in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Marlins. Fried made the most of a favorable matchup, pitching a complete-game shutout with three hits, no walks, and six strikeouts on just 92 pitches. It was a great outing for the 30-year-old, who has struggled out of the gate this season. He is now 2-0 with a 4.97 ERA in his first five starts. He will look to build on his success in his next projected start, which will be at a middling Mariners lineup.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Michael King did not last long in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Rockies. King pitched just 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits (including a grand slam) and three walks with five strikeouts. The 38-year-old has had an up-and-down start to the season with his new team, going 2-2 with a 4.11 ERA, a 9.98 K/9 rate, and a 5.28 BB/9 rate in five starts. He will look to rebound in his next start in a tougher matchup against the Phillies.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoColorado Rockies relief pitcher
Justin Lawrence picked up his first save of the season in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Padres. Lawrence came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first two outs on a lineout and groundout, allowed a single, and ended the game on a flyout. Lawrence has pitched poorly overall this season with a 6.23 ERA and a 4.15 K/9 rate in nine appearances. The Rockies may not see many save opportunities this season, as this was just their fourth. However,
Jake Bird has seen two of them and has pitched better than Lawrence, so he may be the best fantasy option right now in deeper roto leagues.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Nolan Jones (back) exited Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Padres early with a stiff back, per MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The 25-year-old went 1-for-4 with a single, an RBI, and a strikeout before being replaced by
Jake Cave. Fantasy managers should keep an eye out for further updates, but Jones can be considered day-to-day for now. He has been highly disappointing to start the season, slashing just .148/.219/.250 in 96 plate appearances.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Thomas Harding - Twitter.com
8 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday that the team could be without starting pitcher
Merrill Kelly (shoulder) for at least a month. Kelly was placed on the injured list earlier in the day with a right shoulder strain. When asked if the 35-year-old would be back by the All-Star break, Lovullo said, "I don't know. Hard to say." This is a big blow to the Diamondbacks and fantasy managers, as Kelly had a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 22.8% strikeout rate in his first four starts.
Tommy Henry figures to slot into the rotation in Kelly's place, but fantasy managers may want to look elsewhere for immediate replacements.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Theo Mackie - Twitter.com
10 hours agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher
Jon Gray made a surprise relief appearance in Saturday's loss to the Atlanta Braves, but he's scheduled to take the ball as a starter for Wednesday's game at home versus the division-rival Seattle Mariners. After yielding five runs in his first start of the 2024 regular season, Gray is getting on a roll in April with a 1.10 ERA (2.47 FIP) and 23:7 K:BB over his last 16 1/3 innings (four appearances). The 32-year-old veteran right-hander dominated Seattle a season ago, logging a pristine 0.64 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, and 13:1 K:BB across 14 frames (two starts) against the division foes in 2023. The current M's roster is batting a paltry .159 (14-for-88) against Gray, who looks like a solid streaming option and a worthy pickup during Tuesday night's waiver runs in fantasy ahead of Wednesday's full slate.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Savant
10 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher
Blake Treinen (lung) is starting a rehab assignment this week, and he will need three or four outings before he's ready to return to the major-league roster. On the mend from a bruised lung that he sustained on March 9, Treinen should be back to help LA's bullpen by the beginning of May. The 35-year-old veteran right-hander missed most of the 2022 campaign and all of last season following shoulder surgery, and while he'll be in line for the occasional save opportunity based on closer
Evan Phillips' availability, Treinen's fantasy value will be more pronounced in leagues that count holds. With right-handers
Joe Kelly and
Ryan Brasier struggling to begin to 2024 regular season, look for Treinen to become the Dodgers' primary righty setup man before long. In his last full season during 2021, Treinen posted a 1.99 ERA (2.88 FIP), 0.98 WHIP, and 85:25 K:BB over 72 2/3 innings.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Fabian Ardaya - The Athletic
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