3 weeks agoChicago White Sox shortstop prospect
Colson Montgomery has gotten out to a hot start through his first taste of the Arizona Fall League. Through his first 11 games, the 22-year-old has gone deep three times and held an impressive .313/.511/.656 slash line with a 10:6 BB:K ratio. The former first-round selection had struggled at times through his first look at Triple-A last season. In his first 130 games at the top level of the minor leagues, Montgomery carried an underwhelming .214/.329/.381 line with 18 home runs and a rough 69:164 BB:K ratio. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression during the offseason as he could contend for a spot on the Opening Day Roster.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 weeks agoChicago Cubs first base/catching prospect
Moises Ballesteros has launched four home runs in his first ten games in the Arizona Fall League. During the stretch, he has held a .391/.431/.717 line with 11 RBI, and a 4:7 BB:K ratio. This is a great sign for the 20-year-old has he enjoyed a fantastic 2024 campaign. The infielder opened the campaign in Double-A but quickly moved up to Triple-A after he posted a .299/.372/.495 line through 56 games. In his first 68 games at the top level of the minor leagues, the No.4 ranked prospect in the Northside carried a strong .281/.340/.454 line with ten long balls. Ballesteros remains a name to keep a close eye on as he could push for a big league debut in 2025.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the starting nod in Game 2 of the World Series in hopes to extend their series lead. After struggling in his postseason debut, the right-hander has performed exceptionally well as he has tossed nine 1/3 frames in two outings and allowed only two runs and six hits in this span. In addition, he has only walked two batters while striking out ten in this stretch. When Yamamoto faced this Yankee lineup in June, he allowed just two hits across seven shutout frames. Given his past performance against them and his previous two postseason outings, Yamamoto will be a popular pick this evening in DFS as he looks to put the Dodgers two games ahead in the series.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 weeks agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher
Carlos Rodon has a tough matchup in Game 2 of the World Series. In his previous outing, Rodon lasted only four 2/3 innings and surrendered five hits, two earned runs, and one walk, while striking out six. During three starts this October, the southpaw sits with a modest 4.40 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. This evening, he will face the Los Angeles Dodgers who have hit left-handed pitching exceptionally well this season at a stellar .826 OPS mark. In addition, the Dodgers have only struck out 18.0% of the time facing southpaws which could limit Rodon's upside. Given his shaky performances during the postseason and tough matchup, it may be best to fade Rodon in DFS formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers utility man
Kike Hernandez is expected to remain in the starting lineup during the World Series according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Hernandez was given the starting nod in the series opener in center field. During October, the 33-year-old has been one of the best bats in the lineup as he has carried an impressive .306/.375/.528 slash line with two home runs, five RBI, and a 3:9 BB:K ratio. On Friday, Hernandez went 1-for-3 with a triple. DFS players should always consider adding Hernandez to their lineup given his hot stretch and the ample scoring opportunities he has batting in the heart of the lineup. On Saturday evening, he will face southpaw
Carlos Rodon who has posted a 4.40 ERA and 1.12 WHIP during the postseason.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Fabian Ardaya
3 weeks agoNew York Yankees infielder
Jon Berti (hip) was left off the World Series roster with a hip flexor injury according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN. Berti suffered this injury during Game 4 of the ALCS when he was running the bases. This allowed pitcher
Nestor Cortes to return to the roster. During October, Berti went 2-for-11 with a 1:3 BB:K ratio. In the regular season, the 34-year-old utility man held a solid .273 AVG and .342 OBP with five steals through 25 games in the Bronx. Berti should remain deep league option for his speed in 2025 as he has shown little power upside throughout his big league career.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jorge Castillo
3 weeks agoNew York Yankees third baseman
Jazz Chisholm Jr. made his presence known in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, swiping three bags and scoring an important run late in the game. Jazz stole third base in the top of the 10th and scored on a fielder's choice right after, giving the Yanks a 3-2 lead. Unfortunately for them,
Freddie Freeman had other ideas about how the game would end. As for Chisholm, he has been a bit of a letdown this postseason, hitting .179 with a .520 OPS. A good World Series would make his shaky playoffs a moot point, though, and he is off to a good start in Game 1.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 weeks agoNew York Yankees designated hitter
Giancarlo Stanton did it again in Game 1 on Friday, smacking a two-run homer to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead. They would end up losing 6-3, but Stanton cannot be faulted. He now has a whopping six homers in 39 postseason at-bats, and has homered in four straight. His playoff OPS sits at 1.159, as he has seemingly thrown it back to his 2017 MVP days. At this point, it might be smart for the Dodgers to consider walking him when they have a base open.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers first baseman
Freddie Freeman played the hero in Game 1 of the World Series, hitting a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to send the crowd into a frenzy and give the Dodgers a 6-3 win. Freeman demolished the first pitch he saw from lefty
Nestor Cortes, who was brought in to get Freeman and
Shohei Ohtani out. The 35-year-old etches his name into the history books with this moment, becoming the first player to hit a walk-off grand slam in the World Series. What makes the moment even more surreal is that Freeman is nursing an ankle injury, akin to Kirk Gibson's famous walk-off homer in the 1988 Fall Classic where he was nursing multiple leg injuries. Freeman and the Dodgers will look to get back at it in Game 2 on Saturday.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Paul Casella
3 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodger first baseman
Freddie Freeman (ankle) is in the lineup for Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees on Friday. Freeman has been nursing an ankle injury since the final week of the regular season and has missed a few postseason games, including Game 6 of the NLCS. The extra week of rest before the World Series provided Freeman with enough time to get to a point where he can play, but he likely won't be at 100%. Either way, Freeman provides the Dodgers with another excellent bat that they will need against
Gerrit Cole.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Juan Toribio
3
weeks
agoLos
Angeles
Dodgers
relief
pitchers
Alex
Vesia
(ribs)
and
Brusdar
Graterol
(shoulder),
and
infielder
Miguel
Rojas
(hernia)
are
all
on
the
team's
roster
for
the
World
Series.
Vesia
hurt
his
rib
cage
in
read more...
3 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher
Evan Phillips (arm fatigue) is not on the World Series roster. Phillips is dealing with "dead arm" in his right arm that popped up during Game 6 of the NLCS. He was taken out of that game earlier than expected and the feeling hasn't improved since, causing the Dodgers to leave him off their roster. It is a big loss for Los Angeles, as Phillips was a reliable late-inning arm who hadn't given up a run in 6 ⅔ IP this postseason. Fortunately, the team will get back
Alex Vesia and
Brusdar Graterol to make up for the loss of Phillips.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Bill Plunkett
3 weeks agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher
Nestor Cortes (elbow) will join the Yankees roster for the World Series. Cortes has been out since September 18 while dealing with a flexor strain in his left elbow. With just a month of recovery, Cortes could be risking re-injury, but the lefty will consider it worth the risk if he comes away with a World Series ring. The Yankees have not said whether the 29-year-old will start or come out of the bullpen, but given the nature of his injury and the fact he hasn't pitched in a live game in a month, expect the latter.
Jon Berti was taken off the roster to make room for Cortes.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Chris Kirschner
3 weeks agoFree-agent veteran outfielder
Avisail Garcia (back) had successful surgery on Thursday to fix a fracture and a disc issue in his lower back at the hospital for special surgery in New York. The procedure was performed by Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi. Garcia now has all offseason to recover from the surgery, but it remains to be seen if he'll be fully ready to go for the start of spring training next year in February. However, barring a setback once he begins ramping up his baseball activities, the 33-year-old Venezuelan outfielder should have a good chance to be ready for Opening Day in 2025 for any team that wants to take a chance on the aging outfielder. Garcia probably won't have a strong market due to his injury and the fact he slashed a very mediocre .240/.255/.380 with a .635 OPS, two home runs and two RBI in 18 games in Miami before his injury.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
3 weeks agoThe Atlanta Braves could turn to catching prospect
Drake Baldwin, who is considered the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, next season if there's a catching injury to either
Sean Murphy or
Travis d'Arnaud. Baldwin, 23, was impressive in the minors in 2024 and has continued that in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .310 with three extra-base hits and an .892 OPS in seven contests. While his defense isn't weak, his bat is certainly ahead of his glove. Baldwin had just four homers and a .650 OPS in 52 games at Double-A early on this year, but he hit .298 with 12 long balls and an .891 OPS in 72 games after being promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett. "The way he's played, he's definitely a phone call away at this point," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. Baldwin will begin 2025 back at Triple-A while sharing time with
Chadwick Tromp.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - David O'Brien
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