2 days agoBoston Red Sox relief pitcher
Justin Slaten slammed the door on the Rays in the ninth to earn his second save of the season. Slaten got the call from manager Alex Cora with
Aroldis Chapman unavailable after pitching three of the last four nights. He retired the heart of the Rays order with a one-run lead, getting
Junior Caminero to fly out to center field before striking out
Christopher Morel and
Jose Caballero to end the game. Slaten had one rough outing against the Orioles, giving up four runs without retiring an out. However, aside from that outing, he has not allowed a run in his eight games, earning a save in both of his chances and retiring the side in order in each of his last four innings. He will continue to sneak a save whenever Chapman isn't available, but Chapman is still Boston's closer of choice for now.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
2 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers first baseman
Freddie Freeman helped power the team to an 8-7 win over the Rockies on Wednesday night by going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and his third homer of the year. He sent an 0-1 sinker from
German Marquez over the right center field wall to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead and spur them on to a seven-run first inning. In his nine games this season, Freeman is hitting .333 with three home runs and a .486 wOBA. His hard-hit rate and barrel rate are both up this year after a slight decline last year, and the 35-year-old remains an elite run-producer in the middle of a stacked Dodgers' lineup.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
2 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher
Ryan Helsley held on to the Cardinals' 4-1 lead in their series finale win over the Astros on Wednesday to earn his third save of the season. He did issue a walk but stranded
Isaac Paredes at first base after retiring
Christian Walker and
Yainer Diaz to end the game. Helsley hasn't been completely clean with either a walk or a hit allowed in all but one of his seven games. However, he has only given up a run in one of those outings and converted three of his four save opportunities on the season. After getting back to .500 with their win on Wednesday, the Cardinals head to New York for a four-game set with the Mets starting on Thursday night.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
2 days agoSan Diego Padres relief pitcher
Robert Suarez earned his MLB-leading eighth save of the season on Wednesday night against the Cubs to secure the series win over Chicago. Suarez retired the side in order on just eight pitches, preserving a 4-2 victory. Suarez has been absolutely dominant this season, allowing just three hits and two walks across nine scoreless innings. He has 10 strikeouts in nine games and has converted each of his eight save opportunities. The Padres lead the MLB with 15 wins, and Suarez is one of many things that have gone right for them. The 34-year-old righty remains one of the elite closers in baseball right now.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
2 days agoBaltimore Orioles third base prospect
Coby Mayo went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, and three RBI during their contest against Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. This was Mayo's second three-hit game of the young season. In addition, the top third base prospect has begun to find his power as he has gone deep three times over his previous four contests. Over his last nine contests, Mayo has tallied at least one hit in all but one contest. During this stretch, the 23-year-old has posted a stellar .343/.442/.714 slash line with seven extra-base hits. Mayo reached the majors last summer but tallied just four hits across his 17-game stint. Fantasy managers should expect Mayo to contend for an early return to the big leagues if he continues to perform well at Norfolk.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers designated hitter
Shohei Ohtani hit his second home run of his team's three-game sweep against the Rockies on Wednesday night. His solo shot came off
German Marquez, who allowed seven runs and wasn't able to get out of the first inning. Ohtani finished the night 2-for-5 with two RBI and two strikeouts. His six home runs in 20 games give him a solid .398 wOBA to go with a .288 batting average, and he has five stolen bases in six attempts. He's not quite on his historic 50/50 pace from last season, but he continues to be an elite fantasy option with multiple ways to contribute to your offense every matchup. After an off-day Thursday, he and the Dodgers head to Texas to face the Rangers in a weekend matchup of the last two World Series champions.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
2 days agoChicago Cubs outfield prospect
Kevin Alcantara went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a home run, and five RBI during their contest against Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday. This was Alcantara's first round-tripper of the young campaign. Through the first 13 games of the regular season, Alcantara has posted a strong .271/.368/.417 slash line with four doubles. He has swiped two bags and held an 8:20 BB:K. Alcantara enjoyed similar success during his first taste of Triple-A last summer when he posted a .292/.378/.469 slash line with eight doubles and five home runs. Across this 35-game stint, Alcantara swiped seven bags and held a 17:43 BB:K. Even though the Chicago outfield is quite crowded, fantasy managers should expect Alcantara to be in the mix to return to the majors later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 days agoToronto Blue Jays relief pitcher
Jeff Hoffman couldn't keep the team's shutout intact against the Braves, but he still managed to lock down the save on Wednesday afternoon. Hoffman entered with a 3-0 lead in the ninth inning but gave up a solo home run to
Drake Baldwin. He struck out
Eli White to end the game despite the long ball, which wasn't really all that long and would only have been a home run in four MLB stadiums, per Statcast. It was the first home run allowed by Hoffman this season, and he has a 1.74 ERA with 14 strikeouts across 10 1/3 innings. Hoffman has been very effective at the back end of Toronto's bullpen this season, helping his team to an 11-8 start to the season as they host Seattle for a weekend set starting Friday.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
2 days agoHouston Astros shortstop prospect
Brice Matthews hit his first home run at the Triple-A level on Wednesday during their contest against Las Vegas. At the plate, he went 2-for-2 with a long ball and two walks. Through the first 15 games of the campaign, Matthews posted a .212/.379/.327 slash line with a double, a triple, and a home run. He has swiped eight bags during this stretch and held a 13:22 BB:K. Last summer, the former 28th overall pick spent most of the season with High-A and Double-A and held a strong .272/.388/.522 slash line before earning a small taste of Triple-A. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Matthews' progression with Triple-A as he could be in the mix for a late-season MLB debut if he continues to perform well.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 days agoBaltimore Orioles outfield prospect
Dylan Beavers stayed hot at the plate on Wednesday during their contest against Triple-A Omaha. Beavers went 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI, and two walks. This was his second-straight contest tallying multiple hits and sixth-straight game tallying at least one hit. This is an excellent sign for the 23-year-old as he struggled during the first week of the Triple-A regular season. In his first 10 games before this surge, Beavers posted a modest .167/.262/.194 slash line with just one extra-base hit. Last summer, the outfielder spent most of the campaign with Double-A Bowie before earning a brief taste of Triple-A. Across 119 games at Double-A, Beavers posted a .241/.343/.413 slash line with 15 home runs. Fantasy managers should expect Beavers to spend most of the campaign with the Norfolk Tides.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 days agoArizona Diamondbacks infield prospect
Tim Tawa went 1-for-4 with a solo shot during their victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday evening. Tawa would go yard off Miami right-hander
Tyler Phillips in the seventh inning. The Diamondbacks promoted Tawa to the major leagues when they placed second baseman
Ketel Marte (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list. Through his first taste of the majors, Tawa has not seen consistent playing time but has performed well when in the starting nine. He has tallied at least in each of his past three games, including two extra-base hits. Earlier in the summer, the infielder was flashing elite power at Triple-A as he posted a .391/.462/.957 slash line with two doubles and three home runs across six games. Given his unstable playing time, he should only be rostered in 15-team formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoChicago Cubs catching prospect
Moises Ballesteros went 4-for-5 with a double and two home runs during their contest against Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday. These were Ballesteros' first two long balls of the Triple-A regular season. During this impressive six-game hitting streak, the young backstop has posted a stellar .522/.577/.870 slash line. Through the first 14 games of the Iowa Cubs' regular season, the 21-year-old has swung a hot bat, holding a .379/.419/.586 slash line. Last summer, Ballesteros received his first taste of Triple-A and enjoyed similar production as he posted a .281/.340/.454 line with 15 doubles and 10 home runs across 68 games. Fantasy managers should expect the No. 66-ranked prospect in baseball to debut later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 days agoOakland Athletics outfielder
Lawrence Butler made an impact on the basepaths Wednesday, stealing two bases in a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. Butler ended up going 1-for-5 in this one, but still contributed with his speed. It's been a mediocre start to the season for the popular breakout pick, who now has a .288 AVG and .784 OPS with a homer and four steals. Fantasy managers certainly expected more in terms of a power/speed combo, but it is still early and Butler is a fairly streaky hitter. He is at least contributing to AVG and steals and could go off at any time, so holding tight is likely the best option for his fantasy owners.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Nick Pivetta was solid on Wednesday, hurling six one-run innings in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Pivetta allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out six in this one. After a rough start against the Cubs on April 5, Pivetta has bounced back with back-to-back good starts, including this one against that same Cubs lineup. The 32-year-old's numbers look excellent too, with a 1.57 ERA and 0.83 WHIP backed by his 24 strikeouts in 23 innings. Pivetta is looking like a steal in fantasy, as he was going fairly late and is pitching like a stud so far.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoWashington Nationals starting pitcher
Mitchell Parker continued to pitch well on Wednesday, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Parker allowed just four hits and a walk while punching out six in this one. Although he took a hard-luck loss, this start makes it four quality starts in a row for Parker to start the 2025 season. He also has a terrific 1.85 ERA and 1.11 WHIP to go along with 16 strikeouts in 24 ⅓ IP. While some regression is expected, Parker might be worth a look in deeper leagues and could make for a decent streamer against the right matchups in standard leagues.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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