4 days agoHouston Astros designated hitter
Yordan Alvarez is not in the team's starting lineup with a left-hander on the mound in Wednesday's series finale versus the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Jose Altuve will serve as the DH while hitting leadoff, and
Chas McCormick draws into left field while batting ninth against Cardinals southpaw
Steven Matz. Alvarez hit his second home run of the season in Tuesday's win over St. Louis, but he's hitting an uncharacteristic .224 (13-for-58) with two doubles, 10 RBI, a steal, 11 walks and 15 strikeouts in his first 17 games. It's still way too early to panic with the three-time All-Star. Altuve, meanwhile, continues to hit .300 with three homers, seven RBI, 10 runs and three steals after moving permanently to left field. Both he and McCormick have homered in their careers off Matz, although McCormick is a lackluster DFS play in the nine-hole on Wednesday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoDetroit Tigers outfielder
Kerry Carpenter is getting a day of rest with a left-hander on the mound in Wednesday's series finale versus the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
Justyn-Henry Malloy is in right field and will bat leadoff, while second baseman
Gleyber Torres is the designated hitter and batting second against Brewers left-hander
Jose Quintana.
Andy Ibanez is at second base and in the three-hole. Carpenter has gone 3-for-15 against lefties so far this year, but two of those hits cleared the fences. Overall, the 27-year-old has been a great source of power for fantasy managers in the early going with five home runs and 10 RBI in 17 games. Malloy has zero homers and has gone 7-for-34 (.206) this year, but he's worth a look as a DFS sleeper in the leadoff spot. Torres has a solo home run and is batting .571 in seven career at-bats against Quintana.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoSlumping New York Mets third baseman
Mark Vientos will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
Brett Baty will take over at third base and will bat eighth against Twins right-hander
David Festa. This will be Vientos' first day off of the season. After a breakout 2024 season in which he hit .266/.322/.516 with an .837 OPS, 27 home runs and 71 RBI in 111 games played, the 25-year-old has started off cold in 2025, going 9-for-62 (.145) with no home runs, four doubles, four RBI, nine walks and 14 strikeouts in 17 games. It will be more concerning if his slow start to the year drags into May, but hopefully this day off will get Vientos right. Baty hasn't been any better, going 5-for-36 (.139) with no homers and just one RBI early on for the Mets. The former first-rounder has never faced Festa in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoMinnesota Twins right-hander
Pablo Lopez (hamstring) threw a successful bullpen session on Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes. Lopez will now wait to see how his hamstring responds on Thursday. The 29-year-old Venezuelan hurler is currently on the 15-day injured list with a right-hamstring injury, but if he continues to progress at this pace, he could be ready to rejoin Minnesota's starting rotation when he's eligible on April 24. He was looking good in his first three starts of the year before getting injured, going 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA (3.26 FIP) and 1.02 WHIP with 14 strikeouts and only two walks in 16 2/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals. If Lopez is for some reason available on your league's waiver wire, scoop him up immediately. Right-hander
David Festa has been filling in for Lopez in the Twins' rotation.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
4
days
agoMinnesota
Twins
outfielder
Matt
Wallner
(hamstring)
is
out
of
the
team's
starting
lineup
for
Wednesday's
series
finale
against
the
New
York
Mets
at
Target
Field
after
tweaking
his
left
hamstring
in
his
first
at-bat
in
Tuesday's
victory.
Wallner
is
going
for
an
MRI
exam
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4 days agoMinnesota Twins shortstop
Carlos Correa (wrist) is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the New York Mets at Target Field. It shouldn't come as a big surprise after Correa injured his left wrist on a swing in the fifth inning of Tuesday's win over the Mets. Expect the 30-year-old to undergo testing on his injured wrist, at which point we'll have a better idea of the severity of his injury. Minnesota has a day off on Thursday before starting a new series on Friday in Atlanta against the Braves. Fantasy managers will want to check back then on Correa's status. On Wednesday,
Willi Castro will make the start at shortstop and bat seventh, while
Brooks Lee is at the hot corner and is hitting sixth against Mets right-hander
Huascar Brazoban. Both Lee and Castro are each hitless in their only career at-bats against Brazoban.
UPDATE: Manager Rocco Baldelli said that Correa could be available off the bench on Wednesday.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoToronto Blue Jays right-hander
Max Scherzer (thumb) threw on Tuesday and Wednesday and will visit with a doctor again on Wednesday, according to manager John Schneider. Scherzer will be visiting with a different hand specialist than the last time. The 40-year-old veteran just hasn't been able to get past a thumb issue after feeling more soreness following a throwing session late last week. It's good news that he has started throwing again, but we won't know more on a potential timeline for a return until he meets with another doctor on Wednesday. Even if the three-time Cy Young winner is cleared to start ramping up his throwing program, it seems like a good bet he won't return to Toronto's starting rotation until May. In the meantime, left-hander
Easton Lucas will get more starting opportunities for fantasy managers in AL-only leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Keegan Matheson
4 days agoNew York Mets catching prospect
Christopher Suero went 2-for-5 with two long balls during their contest against High-A Aberdeen on Tuesday evening. Suero would tally four RBI in this contest. This was his second-straight contest going deep as well. Through the first nine games of the Brooklyn Cyclones regular season, Suero has been one of the most impactful contributors to the offense, posting a strong .353/.405/.941 slash line with five doubles and five home runs. He has tallied 13 RBI and scored eight runs. Suero has also only gone hitless in just one contest this season. Last summer, the 21-year-old struggled during his first taste of High-A ball, posting a modest .228/.353/.350 line with just seven home runs across 87 games. Fantasy managers should expect Suero to push for a second-half MLB debut if he continues to produce at this rate.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
4 days agoToronto Blue Jays outfielder
George Springer (wrist) remains out of action for Wednesday's series finale against the Atlanta Braves at the Rogers Centre.
Alan Roden will get another start in left field and will bat sixth against Braves right-hander
Spencer Strider (elbow), who is making his first start of the season. This will be Springer's third straight game on the bench as he deals with inflammation in his left wrist. Toronto has a day off on Thursday before starting a weekend series against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Friday, so fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if the 35-year-old veteran is back in the lineup. As of right now, Toronto is treating Springer as day-to-day, and he could even be available off the bench on Wednesday. Roden clubbed his first home run of the season in Tuesday's win over Atlanta but will be in store for a tough matchup against Strider on Wednesday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoThe Atlanta Braves officially activated right-hander
Spencer Strider (elbow) from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday, and he will make his 2025 season debut in Toronto against the Blue Jays. In a corresponding move, the team optioned right-hander
Zach Thompson to Triple-A Gwinnett. While Strider will be a bit more risky in DFS lineups in his season debut, fantasy managers in single-year leagues will want to get him back into their starting lineups immediately after how dominant he was during his minor-league rehab assignment. The 26-year-old got up to 90 pitches in his final rehab start and will make his return to Atlanta's starting rotation just over a year after having an internal-brace procedure on his right elbow. In his 13 2/3 innings at Gwinnett, Strider struck out 27, walked five and allowed just two runs. He proved in 2023 that he's a fantasy ace when he's healthy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Braves
4 days agoTampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Duncan Davitt was sharp in his latest outing on Tuesday evening for Double-A Montgomery. He tossed six shutout innings against the Rocket City Trash Pandas. He allowed just one hit and one walk and struck out 10 batters. During his first outing of the campaign, Davitt logged five innings of one-run ball against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. In this outing, Davitt tallied four punchouts while allowing four hits. This has been an impressive start for the Iowa product. Last summer, Davitt struggled during his time at Double-A, as he logged 51 innings to the tune of a high 4.76 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progress but should expect him to remain at Double-A through most of the first half of the season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
4 days agoArizona Diamondbacks infield prospect
Jordan Lawlar went 1-for-4 with a home run during Tuesday's contest against Triple-A Round Rock. This was Lawlar's second-straight game going deep. This outing also extended his current hitting streak to three games. Over his last five games, the former sixth overall pick has begun to find his power upside, as he has gone deep three times and added three doubles with a .381/.458/.952 slash line. Through the first 16 games of the Triple-A regular season, Lawlar has held a strong .292/.395/.523 slash line with six doubles, three long balls, and four stolen bases. In addition to his offensive production, the Reno Aces have begun moving him to several infield positions. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his production as he could be in the mix to return to Arizona in the coming weeks.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
4 days agoChicago White Sox outfield prospect
Braden Montgomery went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, and a walk during their contest against Low-A Columbia on Tuesday evening. This was Montgomery's second round-tripper of the young campaign and third double. This was his third-straight game tallying at least two hits and fourth-straight contest tallying at least one hit. This outing also extended his RBI streak to an impressive four games. Through his first nine games of professional baseball with Low-A Kannapolis, Montgomery has posted a strong .353/.415/.618 slash line with 13 RBI. The White Sox selected Montgomery with the 12th overall pick in last year's MLB Draft out of Texas A&M. Fantasy managers should expect the 22-year-old to spend most of the season in the lower levels of the White Sox system.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
4 days agoThe St. Louis Cardinals are promoting right-handed pitcher
Matt Svanson to the major leagues. Svanson has yet to reach the major leagues in his professional career. He was selected in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Last season, Svanson spent his entire campaign with Double-A Springfield and posted a strong 2.69 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP across 63 2/3 innings. He struck out just 59 batters and served up a high 25 free passes. He then made his Triple-A debut at the start of the 2025 campaign and needed just five 2/3 innings of work to prove he was ready for the major leagues. Across this brief stint, Svanson allowed just one run. Fantasy managers should expect the Cardinals to deploy the Lehigh product in a low-leverage role.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
4 days agoWashington Nationals left-handed pitcher
DJ Herz (elbow) is set to undergo Tommy John surgery. The southpaw sought several opinions on his partial UCL tear. However, Herz was unable to make significant progress and will now be sidelined until at least the 2026 All-Star break. The 24-year-old has been shut down for several weeks due to this injury. He entered camp competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Last summer, Herz made his MLB debut and logged 88 2/3 innings to the tune of a 4.16 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He struck out batters at an impressive 27.7 percent rate and generated an elite 3.26 xERA and a .208 xBA, which suggests he should see significant positive regression when he returns to the bump. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status but should not expect him to carry any fantasy value for at least the next 12 months.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Talk Nats
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