MJ Melendez Records A Pair Of Hits Thursday

Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez put together a solid game on Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, but his team ultimately fell to the Seattle Mariners 6-4. The 24-year-old came into the 2023 campaign with solid power potential, but he's gone deep just 12 times across 115 games and owns a […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports for Hitters - Updates for Willson Contreras, Bo Bichette, Justin Turner, Mike Trout, Lars Nootbaar, more

With weekend baseball set to begin, several key fantasy hitters are dealing with injuries. It's almost crunch time for fantasy managers looking to contend for a championship, so staying in tune with the top injury headlines is paramount. Let's take a look at injured hitters Willson Contreras, Bo Bichette, Justin Turner, Mike Trout, Lars Nootbaar, […]

Julio Rodriguez Collects Five Hits Thursday

Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez had arguably his best game of 2023, going 5-for-5 with a double, a home run, five RBI, and a run scored during the 6-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The sophomore continues to stay hot with the stick, as he's batting .377 in August with a 1.042 OPS. Over […]

Lars Nootbaar Goes On Injured List

The St. Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Lars Nootbaar (abdomen) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a lower-abdomen contusion, according to the team. The Cardinals promoted top prospect Masyn Winn from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Nootbaar fouled a ball off his groin on Wednesday night and had to make a trip to […]

Joey Wiemer Absent On Thursday

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Joey Wiemer is absent from Thursday's starting lineup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This appears to be a routine rest day for the struggling outfielder. Since the All-Star break, Wiemer is slashing .227/.282/.318 in 71 plate appearances. In his absence, Sal Frelick will cover center field and bat cleanup versus right-hander Lance […]

Mark Canha Sits Out On Thursday

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Mark Canha is absent from Thursday's starting lineup versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 34-year-old produced the only run for his team during Wednesday's loss. This appears to be a routine rest day for the veteran outfielder. In his absence, William Contreras will serve as the designated hitter and bat second versus […]

Lars Nootbaar Hopes To Return To Lineup Soon

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (groin) said he was feeling much better on Thursday after leaving Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics early with a groin contusion. Nootbaar went to the emergency room Wednesday night for testing after fouling a ball off his groin and is hopeful he can return to the lineup in […]

Tommy Edman In Leadoff Spot Against Mets

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman (calf) is playing center field and batting leadoff on Thursday against the visiting New York Mets and left-hander Jose Quintana. Edman is back in action after being taken out of Wednesday's game early against the Oakland Athletics due to a right-calf contusion from when he fouled a ball off […]

Jarred Kelenic Ditches Walking Boot, Starts Baseball Activities

Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic (foot) had his walking boot removed on Wednesday and is resuming baseball activities in Arizona. The Mariners are optimistic that he will be able to rejoin the team sometime in early September. Kelenic fractured his left foot while kicking a water cooler in the dugout in frustration and has been […]

Jacob Melton - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis

PROSPECT: Jacob Melton, OF, Houston Astros ANALYSIS: Melton parlayed a big draft season at Oregon State last year into a second-round selection by the Astros. His incredible athleticism showed through right away as he jumped to Single-A last summer, hitting four home runs and stealing five bases over 23 games. He's spent this whole year […]

Alex Verdugo Sitting Versus Lefty Thursday

Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo is not in the starting lineup Thursday afternoon versus Washington Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin. While it's not a surprise to see the lefty-swinging outfielder taking a seat against a southpaw, Verdugo did start against a left-handed MacKenzie Gore on Wednesday and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in his […]

Ceddanne Rafaela - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis

PROSPECT: Ceddanne Rafaela, OF/SS, Boston Red Sox ANALYSIS: Rafaela was originally signed in 2017 out of Curacao and made a strong impression in his first two seasons, smashing 25 extra-base hits and stealing 28 bases over 98 games in complex and short-season ball. After the pandemic year, Rafaela returned to show power and speed but […]

Stone Garrett Goes Deep Twice In Winning Effort

Washington Nationals outfielder Stone Garrett was seeing the ball well on Wednesday in a 6-2 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox. Garrett finished the game 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI, two runs scored and a strikeout. The impressive performance at the plate raised Garrett's season slash line to .266/.346/.458 with an .803 […]

Bryce Harper Goes Off Wednesday

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman/designated hitter Bryce Harper blew up at the plate in the team's 9-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI, three runs scored and a walk. Games like this have been very rare for Harper in 2023, and it's actually his first multi-homer […]

Jasson Dominguez Catching Fire In August

After an up and down year for Double-A Somerset, New York Yankees outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez has turned things around in August. On Wednesday, Dominguez, 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two strikeouts. The 20-year-old has been a bit of a disappointment this season compared to his first couple of professional years and much […]

Mike Antico - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis

PROSPECT: Mike Antico, OF, St. Louis Cardinals ANALYSIS: Antico made the most of an extra year of college eligibility granted due to COVID. He hit .273/.437/.489 with 10 homers and 41 steals for Texas in 2021 before the Cardinals selected Antico in the eighth round of the 2021 draft. Antico has elite raw tools due […]

Jakob Marsee - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis

PROSPECT: Jakob Marsee, OF, San Diego Padres ANALYSIS: The Padres selected Marsee out of Central Michigan in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He shuffled through his first two years of college before absolutely breaking out in his draft year. Marsee was an elite athlete in high school and continues to show that athleticism […]

All-In-One MLB DFS Staff Picks and Analysis 8/17/23 (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! It's a smaller-than-usual slate for our weekend warmup, with only four games on our DFS plate. Tonight's action starts at 7:15 PM EST with tilts between Detroit-Cleveland and New York-St.Louis. Then, the slate wraps up at 10:10 PM EST with a West Coast […]

Dru Baker - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis

PROSPECT: Dru Baker, OF, Tampa Bay Rays ANALYSIS: The Rays selected Baker in the fourth round in 2021 out of Texas Tech. He played all over the field with the Red Raiders, but the Rays have focused his defensive efforts in the outfield. Baker has the athleticism to handle any of the outfield spots, though […]

DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (8/17/23): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

We have a light Thursday to begin with, then it's chopped aside from that. The two early games are fairly boring for DFS purposes, but I know you'll still play just like I will. The early is fairly simple. Stack Boston and Seattle, run Kirby and Sale. You can get creative and try to run […]

Wilyer Abreu Hits Three Homers In One Game Amidst Big Week

Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu has come on strong for the club's Triple-A affiliate in Worcester. Acquired from the Astros in last year's Christian Vazquez trade, the outfielder has consistently shown off a strong arm and enough speed to cover the middle of the outfield. Although he is primarily viewed as a center […]

Blake Dunn - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis

PROSPECT: Blake Dunn, OF, Cincinnati Reds ANALYSIS: The Reds drafted Dunn out of Western Michigan in the 15th round in 2021. He flashed well in his pro debut that year, earning his way to Single-A with a .286/.333/.429 line and five steals over 11 games. Dunn was an elite athlete in high school, with the […]

Mike Trout To Face Live Pitching On Thursday

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (wrist) is hopeful to begin hitting against live pitching on Thursday. The superstar outfielder recently progressed to hitting off a pitching machine. That is good news is his recovery process from his left hamate fracture. The 32-year-old has been sidelined since early July and remains without a clear timetable. […]

Jose Siri Dealing With Minor Injury

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri (finger) was forced to exit early during Wednesday's game against the San Francisco Giants. The 28-year-old injured his finger while sliding into second base and was removed from the contest. Luckily, the X-rays were negative, so Siri is only dealing with a left pinky finger sprain. Manager Kevin Cash […]

Lars Nootbaar Exits Early On Wednesday

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (groin) was forced to exit early during Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. He was replaced in the fifth inning after fouling a ball off his groin area. Tommy Edman took over in center field after Nootbaar exited the game. However, Edman was also forced to leave the game […]

Josh Lowe Blasts A Solo Shot Against Giants

On Wednesday, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe went 2-for-5 and smacked a solo home run as the Rays beat the Giants 6-1. Lowe added to Tampa Bay's early lead in the fourth inning by launching a solo homer to center field off San Francisco right-handed reliever Ross Stripling. It was his 15th home run […]

Trey Cabbage - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis

PROSPECT: Trey Cabbage, OF, Los Angeles Angels ANALYSIS: I'm not suggesting you run out and stash Trey Cabbage right now, but he's certainly one to keep an eye on and could make an impact down the stretch if the Angels decide to give him another shot over the final six weeks of the season. Cabbage […]

James Outman Sitting Versus Lefty

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. This appears to be a matchup move to stack the lineup with right-handed hitters versus left-hander Wade Miley. Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez will move into the outfield with Outman and Jason Heyward sitting out on […]

Aaron Hicks Remains Out On Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Aaron Hicks (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the San Diego Padres. He'll miss his second straight game after suffering a back injury during his return from the injured list on Monday. Luckily, it doesn't sound like Hicks is going to require another stint on the injured […]

Eloy Jimenez Absent On Wednesday

Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez (groin) is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. The 26-year-old is dealing with a groin issue, so the White Sox will give him a rest day here. Fantasy managers should consider Jimenez as day-to-day, so hopefully he'll return soon. The expectation is that […]