5 mins 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
58 mins 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
1 hour 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
1 hour 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 hours agoSeattle Mariners catcher
Cal Raleigh (mouth) is behind the plate and is hitting third in the Mariners lineup on Thursday against the Texas Rangers and left-hander
Andrew Heaney. Raleigh suffered a broken tooth in Tuesday's game and sat out on Wednesday while having a dental procedure. The 27-year-old switch-hitting backstop is back in there a day later, though, and should be returned to starting lineups in all fantasy leagues. The former third-rounder in 2018 out of Florida State has been one of the better offensive-minded catchers so far this year, as he's hitting .271/.350/.529 with an .879 OPS, six home runs and 13 RBI in 20 games played for the M's. He's gone deep in four of his last five games as well. In his career against Heaney, he's hitless in five at-bats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoSeattle Mariners shortstop
J.P. Crawford (oblique) said he was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right-oblique strain after undergoing an MRI exam and was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 24) on Thursday. In corresponding moves, infielder Leo Rivas' contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma and right-hander
Gregory Santos (lat) was moved to the 60-day injured list. Crawford was scratched from Wednesday's lineup and will now miss at least the next 10 days. The 29-year-old's strain isn't very serious, but it could easily keep him out beyond 10 days.
Dylan Moore is making his second straight start at the 6 on Thursday in place of Crawford and is likely to see most of the playing time there as long as Crawford is out. Crawford has had a rough start to 2024, hitting under .200 with two home runs and nine RBI in 22 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Mariners PR
3 hours agoBoston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that infielder/outfielder
Ceddanne Rafaela is the team's everyday shortstop at this point with
Trevor Story (shoulder) out for the rest of the year. Rafaela is making his sixth straight start at the 6 on Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians. The move to put the 23-year-old defensive whiz at shortstop full time has allowed outfielder
Wilyer Abreu to become an everyday player for the BoSox as well. Rafaela's full-time move to the 6 will give him dual eligibility in fantasy at both shortstop and the outfield. Rafaela has a lot to improve on offensively, though, as he's hitting just .171 (14-for-82) with a home run, nine RBI, three stolen bases and 11 runs scored in 25 games. He's mostly attractive in deeper leagues for his speed.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Boston Globe - Pete Abraham
3 hours agoBoston Red Sox right-hander
Nick Pivetta (elbow) will make at least one minor-league rehab start before returning from the injured list. Pivetta has already missed more than the 15 days required on his injured-list stint and he's going to need at least one start in the minors before fantasy managers will get him back. The 31-year-old is recovering from a right-elbow flexor strain but has resumed throwing off a mound and could make his rehab start soon. As long as he doesn't suffer a setback in that outing, he should join Boston's rotation shortly after that. The Canadian hurler looked fantastic in his first two starts before getting hurt, allowing just one earned run on eight hits while walking one and fanning 13 in 11 innings. The Red Sox and fantasy managers will be looking forward to his return in early May.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
3 hours agoIt's unlikely that Boston Red Sox infielder
Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) will return from the injured list this weekend, but he's getting close. Grissom continues to rehab in the minor leagues at Triple-Worcester and has played in six games to this point, going 4-for-18 (.222) with no homers or RBI and two stolen bases in 22 plate appearances. The 23-year-old has split time between shortstop and second base on his rehab assignment, but he's expected to operate as Boston's primary second baseman once he's ready to make his debut for the Red Sox. If he doesn't suffer any setbacks over the weekend, Grissom could be reinstated to make his 2024 debut next Tuesday at home against the San Francisco Giants. In deep-mixed leagues, he's absolutely worth a pickup if you need middle-infield help.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
3 hours agoBoston Red Sox third baseman
Rafael Devers (knee) isn't comfortable playing the field just yet after his knee injury, according to manager Alex. Cora. However, the skipper said that Devers will likely return to the hot corner on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. Devers missed some time recently with a left knee injury, but he's been the team's designated hitter the last few days. Once the 27-year-old heads back to third base, it will allow outfielder
Masataka Yoshida to return to the DH spot for Boston. The left-handed hitter has sat each of the last three games against a right-hander with Devers serving as the DH. Devers has battled a few nagging injuries already in 2024 and is hitting an uncharacteristic .231 (12-for-52) in the early going with three home runs and seven RBI. It's too early to be concerned with Devers.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
3 hours agoTexas Rangers shortstop
Corey Seager (shin) is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat second on Thursday against right-hander
Luis Castillo and the visiting Seattle Mariners. Seager was removed as a precaution late in Wednesday's contest against the M's after he was hit by a pitch and suffered a left-shin contusion. The 29-year-old's shin swelled up after the game, but apparently he's feeling good enough on Thursday to serve as the DH against a pitcher that he's hit .300 against in 10 career at-bats. With Seager at DH,
Josh Smith is starting at the 6 and batting sixth for Texas. Fantasy managers will want to get Seager back into all starting lineups. He's started off the 2024 season hitting .256 (22-for-86) with a homer, six RBI and 11 runs scored.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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