7 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers left-hander
Clayton Kershaw (toe) has thrown off a portable mound but is still dealing with pain in his toe. Kershaw was placed on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 31 with a bone spur in his left big toe. It's good news that the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer is throwing off a mound, but the fact that he still has pain in his toe probably makes him more of a long shot to return to the Dodgers' starting rotation before the end of September. And depending on how Kershaw recovers from here on out, there's a realistic chance he won't be stretched out enough to be considered an option in the playoffs. The three-time Cy Young winner and former MVP had offseason shoulder surgery and has only made seven starts in 2024, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP and a 24:9 K:BB in 30 innings pitched for the Blue.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Orange County Register - Bill Plunkett
7 days agoSan Francisco Giants rookie outfielder/shortstop
Tyler Fitzgerald (back) underwent an MRI exam on his lower back that showed no structural damage, so the team is considering him day-to-day. Fitzgerald unexpectedly is out of the team's starting lineup for Friday's game at Oracle Park versus the visiting division-rival San Diego Padres. The 26-year-old felt tightness in his lower back on Thursday and was removed from the contest early against the Milwaukee Brewers. It doesn't sound like too serious of an injury, though, so fantasy managers will be hoping to get him back in the lineup against the Padres later this weekend. Fitzgerald has been a savior off the waiver wire this year, as he's hit .296 (80-for-270) with 14 homers, 31 RBI and 17 steals in 84 games after playing in just 10 games in 2023.
Brett Wisely is at short on Friday and is hitting eighth against Padres right-hander
Dylan Cease.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: San Francisco Chronicle - Shayna Rubin
7 days agoBaltimore Orioles infielder
Jordan Westburg (hand) is now hitting in the batting cages and has progressed from taking dry swings earlier in the week. He is doing full baseball activities, according to manager Brandon Hyde. The focus now is "building strength" in Westburg's hand/wrist. The Orioles could really use the 25-year-old back as their primary third baseman, especially with
Ramon Urias (ankle) also on the shelf. He has been out since late July with a fractured hand but appears to be tracking towards a return later this month. At the very least, Baltimore will be hoping to have Westburg available for the playoffs. Westburg has provided 18 home runs and 58 RBI in his 420 plate appearances in 2024 before his injury. In the meantime, struggling rookie
Coby Mayo and
Emmanuel Rivera figure to continue splitting time at third base.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Baltimore Sun - Jacob Calvin Meyer
7
days
agoAtlanta
Braves
manager
Brian
Snitker
said
on
Friday
that
he's
unsure
if
second
baseman
Ozzie
Albies
(wrist)
will
play
again
this
year.
When
asked
if
Albies
would
return
and
hit
only
right-handed,
Snitker
said
they
haven't
had
that
conversation
with
him.
The
Braves
read more...
7 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Tyler Glasnow (elbow) felt discomfort in his right elbow while warming up for his scheduled simulated game on Friday, and the Dodgers cut it short from there as a result. "It's a setback," manager Dave Roberts said. This pretty much assures that we won't see Glasnow again on the bump for the Dodgers until the start of the postseason. And even then, there's no guarantee he'll be ready by then, depending on how his rehab goes from here on out. The 31-year-old hard-throwing righty has been sidelined since Aug. 16 with right-elbow tendinitis and is running out of time to get stretched out for a potential return to the starting rotation. Glasnow was one of the most dominant arms in the big leagues in 2024 in his first year in LA, and it would be a huge blow to the Dodgers' pitching staff if he were unable to return this year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
7 days agoNew York Yankees right-hander
Marcus Stroman will move to the bullpen for this turn through the starting rotation, with left-hander
Nestor Cortes taking his next start. Manager Aaron Boone said that the Yankees could go to a five-man rotation the next time through as well. Stroman would be available in relief on Sunday at Yankee Stadium against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. This is the Yankees' way of giving some of their starters some rest at the tail end of the regular season so that they can be fully ready to go for a deep playoff run. It's obviously bad news for any fantasy managers relying on the 33-year-old Stroman with a championship on the line. He has mostly struggled in the second half, going 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA (3.54 FIP) with 31 strikeouts and 13 walks in nine starts over 43 1/3 innings. At best, Stroman might only make one more start in September.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
7 days agoDetroit Tigers right-hander
Reese Olson (shoulder) is trending towards returning from the injured list to pitch in the series next week against the division-rival Kansas City Royals that runs from Monday, Sept. 16, through Wednesday, Sept. 18. Left-hander
Tarik Skubal (hand) is already projected to start on Wednesday, so Olson's turn would come either on Monday or Tuesday. An official announcement could come on Saturday. The 25-year-old has been out since July 20 but did toss three scoreless innings with five strikeouts in his latest minor-league rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Toledo. Olson's strikeout rate has been a bit down this year, but you can't argue with his results (3.23 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) in 19 starts before hurting his shoulder. He has streaming appeal down the stretch, although a matchup next week against KC will probably make fantasy managers nervous.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Detroit News - Chris McCosky
7 days agoHouston Astros second baseman
Jose Altuve (side) has returned to second base and is hitting leadoff on Friday in the series opener against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels and rookie left-hander
Samuel Aldegheri. Altuve injured his side in the game on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics and sat out of the series finale against the division rivals on Thursday before returning to start the weekend series in Anaheim. Fantasy managers will want to get the 34-year-old All-Star back into all starting lineups, especially against a young hurler without much experience. Altuve has been excellent for the Astros and fantasy managers all year and enters Friday's game with a .302/.357/.450 slash line, .806 OPS, 19 homers, 62 RBI, 20 steals and 86 runs scored in 576 at-bats as a contributor across all categories. He's been even better in September with a .389 average, a homer, four doubles and five RBI in nine games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
7 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Jasson Dominguez is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Fantasy managers don't need to worry as this appears to be a routine rest day for Dominguez. Instead, the Yankees have decided to give
Alex Verdugo the start in left field. The left-handed slugger has hit well against Boston this season with 13 knocks in 43 plate appearances. Verdugo appears to be a strong fantasy option for Friday's slate.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
7 days agoBoston Red Sox starting pitcher
Tanner Houck (shoulder) has been scratched ahead of his scheduled start against the New York Yankees on Friday. The right-hander is reportedly dealing with right shoulder fatigue. Houck was given eight days of rest to overcome this issue, but it doesn't look like that was enough. It wouldn't be shocking to see Houck end up landing on the injured list. In his place,
Richard Fitts will take the ball on four days rest on Friday. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for help with Fitts unlikely to have success against the tough Yanks lineup.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Chris Cotillo
7 days agoCleveland Guardians outfielder
Steven Kwan (undisclosed) has been scratched ahead of Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. It sounds like Kwan is being pulled from the game due to body fatigue. This should be a minor issue that only keeps Kwan out for a day or two. In the meantime,
Daniel Schneemann will play left field and bat leadoff against right-hander
Zack Littell. Schneemann hasn't been much of a fantasy option with a .227 batting average and 21 RBI on the season.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
7 days agoDetroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that left-hander
Tarik Skubal's right hand checked out fine and he will start the third game in the upcoming series versus the division-rival Kansas City Royals next Wednesday. Skubal, one of the front-runners for the American League Cy Young in 2024, bruised his right (non-throwing) hand in his last outing on Thursday against the Colorado Rockies, but he still managed to throw six innings, allowing an earned run with no walks and six strikeouts in a no-decision. The matchup is a difficult one against the rising Royals next week, but Skubal has been matchup-proof all year and needs to be locked into starting lineups next week. The 27-year-old lefty has been lights-out in a breakout year, going 16-4 with a league-leading 2.50 ERA (2.56 FIP) while also leading the league with 214 strikeouts in 180 innings over 29 starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Detroit News - Chris McCosky
7 days agoChicago White Sox outfielder
Gavin Sheets will retreat to the bench on Friday against the Oakland Athletics at Guaranteed Rate Field with a left-hander on the mound. With Sheets starting on the pine, rookie
Bryan Ramos will serve as the team's designated hitter and will bat leadoff against A's rookie left-hander
Brady Basso. Sheets, who hits from the left side, has hit only .203 (15-for-74) with one of his eight home runs and 23 strikeouts in 82 plate appearances against southpaws this year. Ramos, who hits from the right side, has only had 60 plate appearances in his first 19 major-league games in 2024 and is slashing .211/.233/.298 with a .532 OPS, one homer, two doubles, four RBI and 11 strikeouts. He's in a favorable lineup spot against an inexperienced pitcher, but it's hard to recommend White Sox hitters as viable sleepers for DFS lineups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoAtlanta Braves infielder/outfielder
Whit Merrifield (foot) is back at second base and is hitting ninth on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander
Landon Knack at Truist Park. Despite fracturing his left foot on Sept. 6 when he fouled a ball off of it, Merrifield has avoided the injured list and will return to Atlanta's lineup after missing the last five games. The 35-year-old veteran should see most of the starts at second base moving forward, barring a setback with his foot, as long as
Ozzie Albies (wrist) remains on the IL. Even though Merrifield's playing time is on the rise with the Braves late in the year, he doesn't really move the fantasy needle outside of NL-only leagues. The three-time All-Star is hitting .243/.359/.342 with a homer, four doubles, two triples, three RBI and five steals in 34 games since joining the Braves midseason.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 days agoWashington Nationals shortstop
CJ Abrams (shoulder) has been scratched from the lineup on Friday against the division-rival Miami Marlins at Nationals Park due to a sore left shoulder after a diving play on Thursday night. With Abrams out, everyone in the batting order moves up a slot, with rookie outfielder
Dylan Crews starting in right field and batting leadoff against Marlins right-hander
Edward Cabrera.
Nasim Nunez slots in at the 6 in D.C. and will hit in the nine-hole. Fantasy managers should consider Abrams to be day-to-day for now and check back on Saturday to see if he is available to play against the Fish. The rookie Nunez has handled himself well in his first 37 big-league games in 2024 by hitting .345 (10-for-29), but he has yet to clear the fences and will have limited DFS appeal at the bottom of Washington's batting order.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
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