1 week agoToronto Blue Jays rookie outfielder
Joey Loperfido is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener at the Rogers Centre against the visiting Miami Marlins. With Loperfido starting on the bench, fellow outfield prospect
Jonatan Clase is starting in center field and is batting eighth against Marlins right-hander
Adam Oller. Loperfido, 25, has appeared at both center field and left field for Toronto and has mostly struggled offensively since being acquired from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline in the deal that sent lefty
Yusei Kikuchi to Houston. Loperfido has gone 27-for-130 (.208) with two homers, eight RBI, two steals and 48 strikeouts in his 41 games in Toronto. Clase, who was also acquired via trade with the Mariners this year, will be playing in just his sixth game with the Jays. So far, he's gone 6-for-12 with a homer, double and two RBI in 14 plate appearances.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1
week
agoPittsburgh
Pirates
infielder/outfielder
Oneil
Cruz
and
third
baseman
Jared
Triolo
are
both
out
of
the
lineup
for
Friday's
series
finale
against
the
New
York
Yankees
in
the
Bronx.
Billy
Cook
will
get
the
read more...
1 week agoChicago White Sox outfielder
Luis Robert Jr. (rib cage) is dealing with some soreness in his rib-cage area and is out of the starting lineup on Friday against the division-rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The injury isn't considered serious, though, and he could return on Saturday for the second game of the series.
Dominic Fletcher will make the start in center field on Friday and will hit ninth for the Pale Hose against Tigers right-hander
Brenan Hanifee. Fletcher will be a deep DFS sleeper to avoid on Friday, as the 27-year-old outfielder has gone 44-for-212 (.208) on the year with just one home run and 16 RBI. After making his first All-Star appearance in 2023, Robert has hit a career-low .227 (88-for-388) this year. He has managed a career-high 22 stolen bases while also contributing 14 home runs and just 36 RBI for a terrible White Sox team.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen
1 week agoNew York Yankees infielder
DJ LeMahieu (hip) is encouraged about how his hip is feeling and expects to start doing baseball activities over the next few days to try and put himself in a position to be ready for the American League Division Series. The Yankees won the American League East division on Thursday evening and will now have a bye for the wild-card round of the postseason, giving LeMahieu some extra time to heal. "I don't know if they'll use me or not, but I'm definitely gonna try to be available," LeMahieu said. The 36-year-old veteran infielder hasn't played since early September due to a right-hip impingement and could be left off the playoff roster even if he's ready to go by the start of the ALDS. LeMahieu has battled injuries during a frustrating 2024 season and has hit just .204 (41-for-201) with two homers and 26 RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NJ Advance Media - Max Goodman
1 week agoNew York Yankees first baseman
Anthony Rizzo and catcher
Austin Wells will get the day off for Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium a day after the team clinched the American League East division title.
Oswaldo Cabrera will start at first base and bat ninth, while
Jose Trevino will do the catching and hit eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander
Jared Jones. The Yankees are giving a lot of their regulars a day off after they celebrated their division title on Thursday evening with a win over the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. Since returning from a fractured forearm on Sept. 1, Rizzo has gone 17-for-71 (.239) with no home runs, five doubles, seven RBI, eight walks and 17 strikeouts in 21 games played. The Yankees will be hoping he can find some of his power stroke from the left side of the plate with the playoffs starting next week.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Yankees
1 week agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Aaron Judge will head to the bench on Friday in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium a day after the team clinched the American League West title with a decisive win over the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. In that contest, Judge hit a home run for the fifth straight game.
Trent Grisham will start in center field on Friday and will bat seventh against Pirates rookie right-hander
Jared Jones. Judge is having another fantastic season in 2024 and currently leads the AL in home runs (58), RBI (144), walks (133), on-base percentage (.461), slugging percentage (.708), OPS (1.169), OPS+ (226) and total bases (392) in 157 games played. His .325 batting average (180-for-554) is third in the AL, so he still has a shot to win the AL Triple Crown with only three games remaining in the 2024 season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Yankees
1 week agoThe Minnesota Twins optioned right-hander
Simeon Woods Richardson to Triple-A St. Paul and recalled catcher
Jair Camargo from St. Paul on Thursday. With Woods Richardson not set to pitch again during the regular season in 2024, the Twins elected to send him down to give them extra catching depth to close out the weekend series versus the Baltimore Orioles. The 24-year-old went out on a sour note in his first year in the big leagues by allowing three earned runs on six hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out two in just one inning in his final start on Wednesday against the Marlins. In his third year with the Twins in 2024, Woods Richardson ended up going 5-5 with a 4.17 ERA (4.12 FIP), a 1.29 WHIP and a 117:48 K:BB in 133 2/3 innings over 28 starts in his first full season in the big leagues. He came into 2024 with only 9 2/3 innings pitched in the big leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoLos Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said that the team isn't overly concerned about first baseman
Freddie Freeman's (ankle) injury that he suffered in the win over the division-rival San Diego Padres on Thursday night that clinched the National League West title. However, Freeman won't play in the final regular-season series in Colorado against the Rockies this weekend, but Friedman said he likely could have if the Dodgers hadn't already clinched the division. Freeman was on crutches and wearing a walking boot in the Dodgers' clubhouse on Thursday night during their celebration. The 35-year-old injured his ankle while trying to apply a tag at first base on a pickoff attempt. With the Dodgers having a first-round bye in the postseason, Freeman should be ready to roll when the Division Series starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Los Angeles Time - Jack Harris
1 week agoCincinnati Reds infielder
Noelvi Marte will start on the bench for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Santiago Espinal will start at the hot corner and will bat eighth against Cubs right-hander
Jameson Taillon. In 13 career at-bats against Taillon, Espinal has hit .231 with a .462 OPS. Marte has been a regular for the Reds at either third base or designated hitter down the stretch and has hit .240 (12-for-50) with two doubles, four RBI, four walks, 18 strikeouts and three stolen bases in 15 games in the month of September. Overall, 2024 has been a disappointment for the 22-year-old Dominican after opening the year serving a suspension. He's managed to hit just .212/.251/.306 with four long balls, 18 RBI and nine stolen bases in 222 at-bats. Espinal will be a low-upside DFS sleeper at the bottom of Cincy's batting order.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoCincinnati Reds second baseman
Jonathan India (head) is back at second base and atop the batting order as the leadoff hitter for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Chicago Cubs and right-hander
Jameson Taillon at Wrigley Field. India was hit in the head by a pitch from Cleveland Guardians right-hander
Tanner Bibee on Tuesday and entered the league's concussion protocol. The 27-year-old only missed Wednesday's contest with the Reds having Thursday off. He'll be back in there for the final three games of the regular season this weekend. India has two hits with an RBI in four career at-bats against Taillon but enters Friday's contest on a cold streak of late, going 6-for-28 (.214) with a homer, triple, two RBI and three strikeouts in nine games since Sept. 15. The former National League Rookie of the Year in 2021 will be looking to finish off his 2024 campaign strong.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1
week
agoChicago
Cubs
first
baseman
Michael
Busch
(triceps)
is
serving
as
the
designated
hitter
and
batting
fifth
for
the
Cubbies
on
Friday
against
the
division-rival
Cincinnati
Reds
and
right-hander
Nick
Martinez
at
Wrigley
Field.
Busch
was
hit
by
a
read more...
1 week agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Seiya Suzuki (ankle) remains out of the lineup for Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field versus the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. Suzuki suffered a sprained right ankle in Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies and will now miss his second straight start as a result. The Cubs are eliminated from the postseason, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Suzuki is unable to return for the final three games of the season. For now, the 30-year-old should be considered day-to-day. With Suzuki out again, rookie
Kevin Alcantara, who was just called up this week, will make another start in right field and bat ninth against Reds right-hander
Nick Martinez. The 22-year-old Dominican will be playing in just his second MLB game after going 1-for-4 with a strikeout in his debut on Wednesday in the loss to the Phillies.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Alex Verdugo launched a pinch-hit homer in a blowout victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. Verdugo didn't start the game, but came in as a pinch-hitter for
Jasson Dominguez late in the game and took advantage of the opportunity. The lefty has seen his playing time dwindle lately due to poor performance and the depth of the Yankees outfield. Verdugo will have a hard time cracking the lineup for the postseason and will likely be a bench option. The same can be said for the 2025 season, causing his fantasy value to tank.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher
Gerrit Cole dominated the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, tossing 6 ⅔ shutout frames in a 10-1 victory. Cole allowed just two hits and a walk while punching out five in this one. The 34-year-old veteran has looked like himself since the start of August, allowing three or fewer runs in nine of his 10 starts since then. His upward turn is a good sign for the Yankees heading into the postseason, and a good sign for fantasy managers that are hoping he can return to ace level in 2025.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Tyler Alexander was excellent on Thursday, holding the Detroit Tigers scoreless over five innings in a 4-3 loss. Alexander allowed four hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out six. It was the best outing of the season for the 30-year-old, who owns a 5.10 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 2024. Aside from the ratios, Alexander also has the problem of not pitching deep into games, as the Rays usually pull him after four or five innings. He doesn't have much utility in fantasy.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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