5 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
5 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
5 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
5 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
5 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
5 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
5 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
5 days agoOakland Athletics outfielder
Esteury Ruiz (knee, wrist) underwent arthroscopic right-knee surgery on Tuesday in Texas, the team announced. Ruiz was already ruled out for the remainder of the 2024 season due to a strained left wrist, and now he'll be rehabbing a knee procedure this offseason on top of it. The 25-year-old speedster specifically had a patella tendon debridement and chondroplasty done to his knee. After stealing a league-high 67 bases in his first year in Oakland in 2023, Ruiz was a massive disappointment for fantasy managers hoping to lock down stolen bases by taking him in drafts. Ruiz only played in 29 games at the major-league level in 2024 and hit .200/.270/.382 with a .652 OPS, two homers, two doubles, a triple, eight RBI and five stolen bases in 65 plate appearances. The A's sent him down to the minors early in the year and he was never able to recover.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
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5 days agoThe Los Angeles Dodgers called up pitching prospect
Edgardo Henriquez from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, according to sources. Henriquez had been on the Dodgers' radar for pitching help at the big-league level despite starting the 2024 season at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. His fastball has been clocked at up to 104 mph this year, so he could become an option out of the bullpen to close out the final week of the regular season and for the playoffs in October when they're looking for a key late-inning punchout. The 22-year-old Venezuelan right-hander has posted a 2.72 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 88 strikeouts and 29 walks in 53 innings over 43 appearances (five starts) at four minor-league levels in 2024. The team's No. 15 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, obviously has swing-and-miss stuff at all levels, but his command could get him in trouble quickly.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that left-hander
Clayton Kershaw (toe) is in "a holding pattern," and there are currently no plans for him to face live hitters. "I'll pitch when I can pitch," Kershaw said. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer threw a 30-pitch bullpen session last Friday, but the fact that there are no plans for him to progress to the next step of his throwing progression likely means that he isn't going to be an option for LA's pitching staff once the playoffs begin. There's a good chance the Dodgers will have a first-round bye, but even then, Kershaw needs more time to build his arm up. Kershaw's injured big left toe -- he was dealing with a bone spur in it -- isn't 100% healed and he hasn't started a big-league game since Aug. 30. After recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Kershaw has managed to make only seven starts in 2024 for the Blue.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Orange County Register - Bill Plunkett
5 days agoHouston Astros outfielder/designated hitter
Yordan Alvarez (knee) said he's able to put more weight on his leg on Tuesday but still isn't able to turn his knee at all. Alvarez said he's hoping to get some at-bats this weekend in the final series of the regular season against the Cleveland Guardians, but that will be contingent on the swelling in his knee. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger was diagnosed with a right-knee sprain after undergoing an MRI exam on Monday. It's the worst possible time for the Astros to lose one of the best all-around hitters in baseball with the playoffs beginning next week. If he is unable to get some at-bats this weekend against the Guardians, there's no guarantee that Alvarez will be ready to go for the start of the postseason.
Jason Heyward is going to benefit from extra playing time in the outfield in Houston with Alvarez dinged up.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
5 days agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) had a bone scan of his back on Monday that confirmed he doesn't have any structural damage. Lindor said he could pinch hit as soon as Tuesday's series opener against the division-rival Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. The bad news, though, is that Lindor is still feeling discomfort and was wearing a heavy heat wrap around his back while doing some running before the game on Tuesday. The 30-year-old missed his eighth straight game on Tuesday due to a back injury but is still hoping to return at some point in the final week of the regular season to try and get his team into the playoffs next month. Lindor is having a fantastic season in 2024, but this is the worst possible time for New York to be without its best player. Rookie
Luisangel Acuna has looked great early on since his call-up, but the Mets would surely prefer if Lindor could overcome his back injury.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Anthony DiComo
5 days agoTexas Rangers infielder
Ezequiel Duran is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Duran will get a breather after going 6-for-13 at the plate over the weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. The 25-year-old is hitting .253 with three home runs and 20 RBI over 89 games this season.
Jonathan Ornelas will cover the hot corner and bat ninth versus right-hander
Mitch Spence on Tuesday. The rookie infielder hasn't done much in his short time with the team and can be avoided for fantasy purposes.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics infielder
Darell Hernaiz has been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday. Hernaiz was optioned towards the end of August after struggling with a .193 batting average across 44 games with the A's. The 23-year-old was hitting better in the minors, so the A's are ready to give him another look. Hernaiz will cover third base and bat ninth versus right-hander
Nathan Eovaldi on Tuesday. Fantasy managers can ignore Hernaiz, but it's nice to see the A's giving their young hitters more chances.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
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