3 days agoCleveland Guardians outfielder
Lane Thomas (wrist) is finally returning to the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles and right-hander
Dean Kremer at Camden Yards for the first time since April 8. Thomas will start in center field and bat fifth in the lineup. The 29-year-old missed the last six games due to a bruised right wrist from a hit-by-pitch in the team's home opener. Fantasy managers may want to keep Thomas on the bench, as he has started the 2025 season going just 5-for-31 (.161) with no home runs, two RBI and one stolen base in nine games played. He's also hit just .111 in a small sample size of nine career at-bats against Kremer.
Angel Martinez has shifted to right field and is batting sixth on Wednesday, with both
Nolan Jones and
Jhonkensy Noel starting on the bench for Cleveland.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoThe Boston Red Sox placed third baseman
Alex Bregman on the paternity list on Wednesday and recalled infielder/outfielder
Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move. Bregman put on a show in Tuesday's win over the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, going 5-for-5 with two home runs, a double, four RBI and two runs scored, but now he'll miss the series finale in Tampa and potentially the entire weekend series against the Chicago White Sox. The 31-year-old two-time All-Star has so far enjoyed his time in Beantown, as he's slashing .321/.365/.564 with a .929 OPS, four home runs, a league-high seven doubles, a league-high 25 hits, 16 RBI, a stolen base and 10 runs scored in a league-high 78 at-bats. With Bregman out of the lineup on Thursday against the Rays,
Romy Gonzalez will fill in at the hot corner and bat fifth against right-hander
Zack Littell.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Boston Red Sox
4
days
agoIf
New
York
Mets
right-hander
Griffin
Canning
(illness)
isn't
able
to
make
his
next
start
in
one
of
the
next
few
days,
New
York
Newsday's
Tim
Healey
suggests
that
the
Mets
could
call
up
pitching
prospect
Brandon
Sproatread more...
4 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers left-hander
Clayton Kershaw (knee, toe) had a positive first minor-league rehab start on Wednesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing two hits, walking none and striking out two. The 37-year-old former MVP and three-time Cy Young winner threw 22 of his 30 pitches for strikes but only topped out at 88.8 mph with his four-seam fastball. Kershaw has plenty of time to build his velocity back up, though, as he's not eligible to come off the 60-day injured list until May 17. The Dodgers are going to take their time with the future Hall of Famer, which means he might not even be allowed to rejoin their big-league starting rotation by May 17. While Kershaw can still have solid outings, he has become much more of a fantasy dice roll and is likely to have his innings heavily managed when he eventually returns.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
4 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies designated hitter
Kyle Schwarber is making the start in left field and will bat third for the Phillies on Wednesday against the visiting San Francisco Giants and left-hander
Robbie Ray at Citizens Bank Park. Schwarber made only five starts in the outfield last year, and this will be his first start in the outfield in 2025. The 32-year-old left-handed slugger has had a strong start to his fourth season in Philadelphia, as he enters Wednesday's contest slashing .267/.421/.617 with a 1.038 OPS, a league-leading six home runs, a double, triple, 12 RBI, a stolen base and 15 runs scored in his first 17 games played. Fantasy managers shouldn't be getting their hopes up that Schwarbs will suddenly regain outfield eligibility this year. In DFS contests, fantasy managers will probably want to avoid the power threat against a tough lefty. Schwarber is hitless in four career at-bats against Ray.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoLos Angeles Angels shortstop
Zach Neto (shoulder) went 2-for-5 with his fourth home run at Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday night while playing the whole game at shortstop. Neto is scheduled to play another full game at the 6 on Wednesday and could then be activated from the 10-day injured list as early as Thursday. However, the Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher wouldn't be surprised if the Angels wait to bring Neto back until next Tuesday. The Halos wrap up their series in Texas against the division-rival Rangers on Thursday before heading home on Friday for a weekend series against the San Francisco Giants. At the latest, he'll make his season debut on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The former first-rounder has gone 13-for-45 (.289) in his 12 rehab games with the Bees and will be the Angels' starting shortstop when he's ready after hitting 23 homers and stealing 30 bases in 2024.
UPDATE: Manager Ron Washington said the team hasn't discussed when Neto will return just yet.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
4
days
agoThe
St.
Louis
Cardinals
are
hoping
that
catcher
Ivan
Herrera
(knee)
can
begin
running
and
catching
this
weekend,
according
to
manager
Oliver
Marmol.
If
Herrera
can
progress
to
that
point
this
weekend,
it
will
give
the
team
a
better
indication
on
when
he
read more...
4 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said "we're on pace for
Masyn Winn (back) to be activated on Tuesday." Winn will stay in St. Louis this weekend to continue his rehab work on his injured back and could return on Tuesday during the series against the Atlanta Braves. Marmol said the 23-year-old is progressing to hitting in the batting cages and playing catch. The first day that Winn is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list is next Tuesday. In the meantime, the Cardinals will continue to roll with young infielder
Thomas Saggese as their starting shortstop. When Winn is able to return next week, fantasy managers will be hoping that he can start producing more at the plate, as he's started off 2025 with a .222/.314/.289 slash line with a homer, three RBI and eight runs scored. Winn will have a lower fantasy ceiling and floor as long as he remains at the bottom of St. Louis' batting order.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - John Denton
4 days agoChicago Cubs catcher
Carson Kelly (hand) is back behind the dish to catch left-hander
Matthew Boyd in Wednesday's series finale against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Kelly will hit eighth in the batting order against Padres right-hander
Nick Pivetta after missing the first two games of the series in SD due to a left-hander injury that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Kelly returning,
Miguel Amaya will head to the bench. The 30-year-old veteran has had a phenomenal start to his first season with the Cubbies, going 10-for-24 (.417) with four home runs and 13 RBI in nine games played. Kelly isn't going to be this good all year long as he shares playing time with Amaya, but fantasy managers are riding his hot streak early on. He has two hits and an RBI in just four career at-bats against Pivetta.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoThe Washington Nationals are promoting infielder
Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester. In a corresponding move, the Nationals are placing infielder
Paul DeJong (nose) on the 10-day injured list. Lipscomb made his MLB debut last summer and posted a .200/.268/.232 slash line across 61 games. He only hit one long ball, but carried decent fantasy value given his speed production. Across this stint, he swiped 11 bags. During the early part of the Triple-A regular season, Lipscomb enjoyed a strong start, as he held a .295/.392/.386 line across 13 games. He tallied 13 total hits, swiped two bags, and held a 7:13 BB:K. Fantasy managers should expect Lipscomb to see time at shortstop while DeJong is sidelined. He is worth adding in deeper category formats when looking for speed upside.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Bobby Blanco
4 days agoNew York Mets catcher
Francisco Alvarez (wrist) is "fine" after being hit by a pitch during Tuesday's rehab outing. Mets manager
Carlos Mendoza noted that the young backstop will continue his rehab assignment with Double-A on Wednesday evening and is slated to be behind the dish. This is an excellent sign as the 23-year-old was removed from Tuesday's contest after the HBP. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his progress as he could be in the mix to return to the majors sometime next week, if he continues progressing well in his rehab outing. Last summer, Alvarez held a .237/.307/.403 slash line across 100 contests. However, during the 2023 season, Alvarez posted a promising .437 SLG with 25 long balls across 123 contests. When he is cleared to return, he should be viewed as a low-end No. 1 catcher.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: SNY
4 days agoBaltimore Orioles infielder
Jordan Westburg is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday afternoon when they continue a series against the Cleveland Guardians. Westburg was dealing with a minor upper-body injury last week and could be held out of the lineup for a maintenance day. As a result,
Ramon Urias will cover the hot corner and bat in the nine-hole. Westburg enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, posting a stellar .297/.350/.541 slash line with three home runs across his first nine games. However, the Mississippi State product has gone 0-for-19 over his previous five contests with a modest 2:8 BB:K. Fantasy managers should expect Westburg to return to the starting nine on Thursday. Urias is worth a look as a value play in DFS facing Cleveland right-hander
Gavin Williams.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoWashington Nationals infielder
CJ Abrams (hip) was able to run on the field prior to Tuesday's contest. Abrams was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hip flexor strain on April 12 but appears to already be making significant progress. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression as he could be activated on his earliest return date, April 22. Before his injury, the 24-year-old flashed his power upside as he held a .244/.289/.585 slash line with two doubles and four long balls across just 11 games. During this stretch, Abrams swiped four bags and scored six runs. Fantasy managers should expect the former top prospect to return to his typical spot at the top of the lineup when he is cleared to return. While he is out,
Amed Rosario,
Trey Lipscomb, and
Nasim Nunez should continue to share time at shortstop.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Mark Zuckerman
4 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Seiya Suzuki (wrist) is returning to the starting lineup on Wednesday afternoon when they play the final game of a three-game set against the San Diego Padres. Suzuki has been kept out of the lineup over the past three days due to a wrist injury. However, the 30-year-old was able to avoid a lengthy absence. On Wednesday, he will serve as the designated hitter and bat in the three-hole. He has enjoyed a productive start to the campaign, holding a strong .292/.390/.538 slash line with two doubles and four home runs across 17 contests. He has tallied 11 runs, 15 RBI, and held an 11:23 BB:K. Under the hood, he has generated an impressive 14.0 percent barrel rate and a 48.8 percent hard-hit rate, which are both well above the average marks. He should be started in all formats, but it is best to fade in DFS facing San Diego right-hander
Nick Pivetta, who enters Wednesday boasting a 1.59 ERA.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoThe Washington Nationals have placed shortstop
Paul DeJong (nose) on the 10-day injured list with a fractured nose. In a corresponding move, the Nationals promoted infielder
Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester. DeJong suffered this injury during their victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday evening. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status while he is sidelined, but should not expect him to miss too much time. Through the first 16 games of the campaign, the 31-year-old infielder posted a .204/.246/.278 slash line with four doubles and a 2:24 BB:K. Under the hood, DeJong has generated a low .220 xwOBA with a .258 xSLG, which are both well below the average marks. While he is sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Lipscomb to see several opportunities in the infield. He will have value in deeper formats given his speed upside.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Bobby Blanco
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