4 days agoHouston Astros outfielder/designated hitter
Yordan Alvarez (knee) won't accompany the team to Cleveland this weekend for their series against the Guardians to close out the 2024 regular season, according to manager Joe Espada. Alvarez will stay in Houston to work with the team's doctors and training staff. The left-handed slugger still isn't doing baseball activity after spraining his right knee on a slide on Sunday, but he is feeling better. The 27-year-old was hoping to get some at-bats this weekend, but that won't be the case, and the Astros can only hope that he'll be ready to go for the first round of the playoffs next week. The Cuban slugger finishes his 2024 regular season with another strong campaign, slashing .308/.392/.567 with a .959 OPS, 35 home runs, 86 RBI, six steals and 88 runs scored in 552 at-bats.
Jason Heyward should see regular playing time in the outfield the rest of the way for Houston.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
4 days agoMinnesota Twins outfielder
Matt Wallner (oblique) left Tuesday's contest against the Miami Marlins early due to left-oblique tightness, according to manager Rocco Baldelli. The Twins will hope to know more on Wallner's injury on Wednesday, but he shouldn't be expected to be back in the starting lineup. The 26-year-old went 0-for-1 with a strikeout in his pinch-hitting appearance in the sixth inning and was seen grabbing at his side. Oblique injuries can be tricky, so there's no guarantee that Wallner will be available for the rest of the final week of the regular season or even the start of the playoffs next week if the Twins get in. Entering play on Wednesday, Minnesota is two games behind the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers in the wild-card race. In a part-time role this year, Wallner has hit .259/.372/.523 with a strong .894 OPS, 13 homers and 37 RBI in 220 at-bats for the Twins.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Do-Hyoung Park
4 days agoCincinnati Reds second baseman
Jonathan India (head) is in the league's concussion protocol after being hit in the head by a
Tanner Bibee pitch in the fifth inning on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. India did say after the game that he thought it was mild and that he'd be OK, but fantasy managers still playing for something in the final week of the season shouldn't expect India to play on Wednesday. The 27-year-old former fifth overall pick went 0-for-1 with a walk and the hit-by-pitch in three plate appearances on Tuesday before being removed early. With the Reds out of the playoff picture, they aren't going to take any chances with India if he's not 100 percent. In his fourth year in the big leagues, India has hit .247 (129-for-523) with 15 home runs, 58 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 83 runs scored in 147 games for a disappointing Reds club.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Bally Sports Cincinnati
4 days agoNew York Yankees left-hander
Nestor Cortes (elbow), who was scheduled to start Wednesday's contest at Yankee Stadium against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles, is getting an MRI exam on his left elbow. Cortes has been dynamic lately for the Yanks, allowing just one earned run in his last 15 1/3 innings, and would be a valuable weapon for the team in the postseason as either a starter or reliever if he's healthy. It now seems unlikely that Cortes will be able to make his start on Wednesday, but we'll await further confirmation on that. If the 29-year-old southpaw is scratched, right-hander
Marcus Stroman, who recently made the move to a relief role, would be the logical candidate to take the ball for the Yankees on Wednesday. Cortes' 22.8% strikeout rate leaves a lot to be desired in fantasy, but he's been solid in 2024, posting a 3.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 162 K's and 39 walks in 174 1/3 innings.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: YES Network - Jack Curry
4 days agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) "could be in play" to return to the starting lineup for Wednesday's contest at Truist Park against the division-rival Atlanta Braves, according to manager
Carlos Mendoza. Lindor was in the on-deck circle ready to pinch hit in the ninth inning of Tuesday's loss if the Mets got anybody on base, but that did not come to pass. The 30-year-old has been dealing with a nagging back issue that has kept him out for each of the team's last eight games, but he's hopeful of returning to the lineup before the end of the week as the Mets look to keep themselves in the wild-card picture in the National League. They enter Wednesday's action in the second wild-card spot, half a game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Check back later to see if Lindor is active. If he's not, it will likely be impressive rookie
Luisangel Acuna manning the 6 yet again for New York.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Newsday - Tim Healey
4 days agoSeattle Mariners outfielder/first baseman/designated hitter
Luke Raley and infielder
Josh Rojas are both starting the game on the bench for Wednesday's series finale at Minute Maid Park against the division-rival Houston Astros with a left-hander on the mound.
Justin Turner is making the start at first base and is batting fifth, while
Dylan Moore will man the hot corner and bat out of the nine-hole against Astros left-hander
Yusei Kikuchi. Turner has an RBI and is hitting .273 in 11 career at-bats against Kikuchi, while Moore has gone hitless against the southpaw in five career at-bats. Raley has reached the 20-homer mark for the first time in his career in 2024, but he's also hitting just .192 (14-for-73) with just two of his 21 long balls against lefties. Rojas has been even worse against lefties, going 8-for-58 (.138) with none of his eight home runs on the year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Seattle Mariners
4
days
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outfielder
Kyle
Tucker
will
get
the
day
off
on
Wednesday
for
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series
finale
against
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division-rival
Seattle
Mariners
at
Minute
Maid
Park
a
day
after
the
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clinched
the
American
League
West
division
title.
With
Tucker
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bench,
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4 days agoHouston Astros second baseman
Jose Altuve is not in the team's lineup on Wednesday for the series finale against the division-rival Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park a day after the Astros clinched the American League West division title yet again. With Altuve getting the day off, rookie
Shay Whitcomb will man the keystone and bat seventh versus Mariners right-hander
George Kirby. After injuries limited him to 90 games in 2023, Altuve has had a great bounce-back year in 2024. The nine-time All-Star is slashing .293/.349/.436 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 92 runs scored in 152 games played this season. Whitcomb, drafted in the fifth round in 2020 out of the University of California-San Diego, will be making his first start since Sept. 1. In his first 19 big-league games in 2024, he's gone 9-for-37 (.243) with three doubles, five RBI, five walks and eight strikeouts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
4 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder/designated hitter
Seiya Suzuki (ankle) exited Tuesday's 10-4 win over the Phillies with a sprained ankle, per Marquee Sports Network's Taylor McGregor. Suzuki went 2-for-3 with a single, a double, two RBI, a walk, and a strikeout. However, he was pinch-hit for by
Patrick Wisdom in the eighth inning after scoring on a
Cody Bellinger triple in the sixth inning. The 30-year-old should be considered day-to-day and fantasy managers should keep an eye out for more news. With just a few days left in the season, they may consider dropping Suzuki in re-draft leagues to try to get some final value elsewhere. Suzuki has put together his best overall big-league season, slashing .281/.361/.482 with 21 home runs, 73 runs scored, 73 RBI, and 16 stolen bases in 576 plate appearances.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Taylor McGregor - X.com
4 days agoCleveland Guardians starting pitcher
Tanner Bibee finished his sophomore season well in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Reds. Bibee pitched seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. He also hit a batter. The 25-year-old provided plenty of fantasy value this season and will finish with a 12-8 record, a 3.47 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and a 9.69 K/9 rate in 31 starts and 173 2/3 IP. Bibee finished with an ERA higher than his 2023 season but he decreased his walk rate and increased his strikeout rate and workload. Bibee has room to progress even further in 2025 with a reinvigorated offense to support him, making him a potentially intriguing higher-end fantasy option.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webb finished the 2024 season on a high note in Tuesday's 11-0 win over the Diamondbacks. Webb pitched six innings, allowing four hits and a walk with three strikeouts. The 27-year-old performed pretty much as fantasy managers expected this season, going 13-10 with a 3.58 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a 7.56 K/9 rate in 33 starts and 204 2/3 IP. While his numbers were all within his career ranges, his ERA, BABIP, and WHIP were the highest they had been since his 2020 season and his K/9 rate was a career-low. Fantasy managers shouldn't be too surprised, as Webb is a pitch-to-contact, ground-ball pitcher. However, he had done a good job of suppressing hits in each of the previous three seasons. Webb has proven himself to be a high-floor fantasy option with a limited ceiling, making him a safe fantasy option.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder/designated hitter
Heliot Ramos had a nice game at the plate in Tuesday's 11-0 drubbing of the Diamondbacks. Ramos went 4-for-5 with three singles and a solo home run. The 25-year-old launched a fourth-inning
Blake Walston offspeed pitch deep into the left-center seats to put the Giants up 8-0. Ramos' first-half performance was rewarded with an All-Star appearance, but his second half has left a lot to be desired. He is now slashing .229/.266/.399 with seven HR, 24 RBI, and four stolen bases in 223 second-half at-bats. Hopefully, he can end the season on a bit of a hot streak to instill some confidence going into the 2025 season.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher
Logan Gilbert fell to 8-12 in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Astros. Gilbert pitched six innings, allowing four runs on five hits (including three home runs) and a walk with six strikeouts. Home runs have been an issue for the 27-year-old in September, as he allowed eight long balls in five starts and 31 1/3 IP. Gilbert's second half was not as good as his first half, but he will presumably finish the season with a solid 3.33 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and a 9.44 K/9 rate in 32 starts and 203 IP. Gilbert proved himself to be a high-floor innings eater this season for fantasy managers and will likely see his fantasy stock rise for the 2025 season.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoHouston Astros closer
Josh Hader got back on track in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Mariners, earning a four-out save. Hader came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning up by one with two outs and runners on first and third. He got the third out with a strikeout and stayed in to pitch the ninth, delivering a 1-2-3 inning with two more strikeouts. The 30-year-old closed the door on an American League West division title, just one outing after yielding four runs while recording just one out. Hader has not performed as well as he had earlier in his career, but he has still racked up 34 saves with a 3.60 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and a 13.37 K/9 rate in 70 innings of work. Given his job security and strong offense backing him, he should remain a high-end fantasy option for the foreseeable future.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) did not play in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Braves but did appear in the on-deck circle, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Lindor swung a bat in an indoor cage for most of the game in case he was needed. The 30-year-old has not played since September 15 due to a back injury. Manager
Carlos Mendoza said that "he was good enough to play today," and described Lindor as "in play" to start on Wednesday. Lindor's return would be a huge boost for fantasy managers and the Mets in the final days of the season, as he has put up a .271/.342/.494 slash line with 31 home runs, 103 runs scored, 86 RBI, and 27 stolen bases in 670 plate appearances.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo - MLB.om
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