3 mins agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor had a dreadful start to the 2024 season, but signs of life are finally starting to show. The 30-year-old kicked off his campaign mired in a remarkable 1-for-31 slump. Thankfully, since April 7 he has managed to bat .261 with one home run, eight runs scored and a 5/3 BB/K. His production is still a far cry from the 31 homer, 31 stolen base season he produced in 2023, but Lindor is simply too talented to not turn things around. Fantasy managers should expect him to hit a true hot streak soon.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
15 mins agoBoston Red Sox outfielder
Tyler O'Neill (concussion) told reporters on Thursday that he hopes to be activated off of the 7-day injured list on Tuesday when he is first eligible. O'Neill was diagnosed with a concussion on Thursday and admitted he has been dealing with dizziness and lightheadedness, but he still seemed confident about a quick return. There is no guarantee that O'Neill will be back for Tuesday's series opener against the Cleveland Guardians as head injuries are notoriously finicky. Nevertheless, it seems like fantasy managers will not have to wait too long to get one of the hottest early hitters back in their lineups. He should remain rostered in all formats until that time.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Gabrielle Starr
24 mins agoCleveland Guardians second baseman
Andres Gimenez went 2-for-5 with two RBI during Thursday's 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. The 25-year-old has not cleared the fences yet this season, but he is enjoying a strong start nonetheless. Gimenez is slashing .293/.360/.387 with 11 RBI, 13 runs scored and two stolen bases through 19 games. He should continue to add in all those categories for the remainder of 2024 while reaching double-digits in home runs for the third straight year. Gimenez is comfortably a top-10 second base option for the rest of the season.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
33 mins agoPittsburgh Pirates reliever
Aroldis Chapman was hit with a two-game suspension and fine for his actions during Monday's game against the New York Mets. The veteran fireballer got into an altercation with one of the umpires and was ejected from the game in the eighth inning. Chapman is permitted to appeal the suspension, but there is no word yet whether he will. The 36-year-old has pitched well in a set-up role this season, although he was tagged with the loss on Monday after giving up three runs. He is worth rostering in any leagues that track holds as a scoring category as he has five holds and one save through nine appearances in 2024.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
44 mins agoThursday's game between the Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, with games at 1:20 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. in Chicago. The probable starters from today,
A.J. Puk and
Jameson Taillon, will likely pitch tomorrow in the series opener.
Shota Imanaga is expected to start one of Saturday's games for Chicago, while
Jesus Luzardo and
Edward Cabrera could take the mound for Miami. Fantasy managers should remove any players from these teams from their Thursday lineups.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Maddie Lee
2 hours agoIt was announced on Wednesday night that Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever
Robert Stephenson (elbow) would miss the rest of the 2024 season, and now we know why. The Angels revealed on Thursday that Stephenson will undergo elbow surgery, although the exact nature of the elbow surgery isn't known. If it's Tommy John surgery, the 31-year-old probably won't be able to return until next summer at some point. The Halos signed Stephenson in the offseason hoping that he could be a strong late-inning bridge to closer
Carlos Estevez, but instead, Stephenson wasn't able to appear in a single big-league game in 2024. The former 27th overall pick in 2011 by the Cincinnati Reds had one of the best cut fastballs in baseball in 2023.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Bally Sports West - Erica Weston
2 hours agoPittsburgh Pirates right-hander
Quinn Priester is expected to be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to make his first major-league start of the year on Friday against the Boston Red Sox, according to a source. The former 18th overall pick in 2019 out of high school struggled in his big-league debut last year by going 3-3 with a 7.74 ERA (6.74 FIP) and 1.70 WHIP with 27 walks and 36 strikeouts in 50 innings over 10 appearances (eight starts) for the Bucs. However, the 23-year-old was looking better with a 3.95 ERA, five walks and 20 K's in 13 2/3 innings in his first three starts for Indy this year. Priester could stick in Pittsburgh's starting rotation until left-hander
Marco Gonzales (forearm) is able to return, but at best, he'll be a shaky streaming option in deeper fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh PG - Noah Hiles
2 hours agoIt wasn't the major-league debut that Texas Rangers right-hander
Jack Leiter was hoping for on Thursday in Detroit against the Tigers. The former second overall pick in 2021 out of Vanderbilt only made it through 3 2/3 frames in his first big-league start, surrendering seven earned runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out three. This one start won't define Leiter's first year in the majors or his career, but he wasn't missing many bats and gave up a lot of hard contact on the day. It remains to be seen if Leiter will get another turn through Texas' rotation after the disappointing performance, but if he does, it should come next week against the Seattle Mariners in a good matchup.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoBoston Red Sox third baseman
Rafael Devers' (knee) MRI exam showed only a bone bruise, and the Red Sox don't expect him to need a trip to the injured list. Devers was pulled from Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians early with left-knee discomfort and served as the club's designated hitter on Wednesday and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts before being held out for the series finale on Thursday while he had an MRI exam. There's thankfully nothing structurally wrong with the 27-year-old's knee, but fantasy managers will need to check back on Friday to see if he's back in there for the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Devers has started slow in 2024 and is currently hitting just .188 (9-for-48) with two homers and five RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MassLive.com - Christopher Smith
2 hours agoTampa Bay Rays reliever
Colin Poche picked up his second save of the year in Thursday's 2-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels by tossing a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout. It wasn't perfect, though, as he did allow two hits. The 30-year-old got the save opportunity in the series finale after regular closer
Pete Fairbanks tossed 28 pitches in a save attempt on Wednesday. The left-handed Pache gave up four runs in his first three outings of the 2024 campaign, but since then he hasn't given up a run in five straight appearances out of Tampa's bullpen. As long as Fairbanks and
Jason Adam remain healthy, Poche isn't going to see very many save chances for the Rays.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoThe New York Yankees claimed outfielder
Taylor Trammell off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. To make room on their 40-man roster, the Yankees designated infielder
Kevin Smith for assignment. The Dodgers dumped Trammell off their 40-man roster earlier this week after going hitless with three strikeouts in six plate appearances with them over five games. The former 35th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 out of high school just has not been able to figure out major-league pitching in 121 games, batting .165 (51-for-310) with 15 home runs, 39 RBI and four stolen bases. For now, he'll ride the pine in the Bronx while providing outfield depth behind
Aaron Judge,
Juan Soto,
Giancarlo Stanton,
Alex Verdugo and
Trent Grisham.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Yankees PR Department
3 hours agoTampa Bay Rays right-hander
Ryan Pepiot shut down the Los Angeles Angels in Thursday's series finale to win his second game of the year. In his six innings of work, Pepiot allowed just one earned run on three hits while walking three and striking out seven to drop his season ERA to 4.37. The 26-year-old needed a good performance after he gave up five runs to the San Francisco Giants his last time on the bump. The lone run that Pepiot allowed on Thursday to the Angels came on a sacrifice fly in his sixth and final inning. He has walked eight and struck out 27 so far in his four starts while posting a 1.01 WHIP. Pepiot will now look for a second straight strong start his next outing in what has so far been an up-and-down year for the former Dodger.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Mike Trout went hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, he still managed to do some damage on the basepaths with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases. Trout is already up to five stolen bases on the season, which ties the amount of steals he had in the previous three seasons combined. This was also his first multi-steal game since May of 2018. As long as he stays healthy, the three-time MVP could once again be a big threat in the stolen-base department for fantasy managers. In addition to his five stolen bases, Trout is now hitting .270 with a 1.019 OPS, a league-leading eight home runs, 11 RBI and 13 runs scored. The 32-year-old appears to be back after a frustrating injury-riddled season in 2023.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is not in the team's starting lineup for the start of a series on Thursday against the division-rival San Francisco Giants on the road. The 30-year-old will take a seat for a day of rest, with outfielder
Jake McCarthy playing left field and batting ninth and
Randal Grichuk in right field and hitting eighth versus Giants right-hander
Logan Webb. McCarthy is hitting .375 with an RBI in 16 career at-bats against Webb but will have limited DFS upside in the nine-hole. Meanwhile, Grichuk has one hit in his 10 career at-bats against Webb. Gurriel has five home runs and 20 RBI already this year in 18 games played, but he has just one hit (a homer) in his last 16 at-bats over four games, so he could use a little breather here.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher
Gabriel Moreno (thumb) is back behind the plate and is batting sixth in the lineup on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants and right-hander
Logan Webb. Moreno injured his right thumb on a wild pitch on Monday against the Chicago Cubs and was scratched from the starting lineup on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The 24-year-old did appear as a defensive replacement late in Tuesday's extra-inning game, though. Moreno is still looking for his first home run of the year while going 11-for-46 (.239) in his first 16 games of the 2024 season. Webb isn't the greatest of matchups for those setting DFS lineups, but don't ignore the fact that Moreno is currently hitting .444 in nine career at-bats against Webb.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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