4 days ago
Houston Astros outfielder
Jacob Melton is being called up to the big league roster. Melton is currently the No. 2 prospect in the Astros system. He was drafted in the second round of the 2022 June Amateur Draft. Melton only played 17 games at Triple-A before receiving the call to the big leagues. The Astros are in need of some reinforcements with
Zach Dezenzo (hand) likely joining some of his fellow outfielders on the injured list. Melton figures to get regular playing time in Houston with the Astros outfield banged up. However, it's unclear if Melton is truly ready for the big league level with less than 20 games at Triple-A under his belt. He could be worth adding in deep leagues or AL-only formats, but might have a learning curve right away
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Fox Sports
June
1,
2025
Tyler
Reddick
is
currently
having
a
pretty
overrated
season.
As
compared
to
2022
and
to
a
lesser
extent
2023
when
he
had
blinding
speed
and
was
a
lethal
passer
but
was
also
both
unlucky
and
mistake-prone,
and
2024
when
he
seemed
read more...
June 1, 2025
Although Joey Logano won at Nashville Superspeedway last year, don't expect him to repeat that performance this year, as his performance in last year's race was very mediocre. He was only running 14th with two laps left in regulation when his teammate Austin Cindric won, but he ended up inheriting the lead because he could stretch his fuel mileage through the absurd five overtimes when the leaders couldn't. The race had more to do with luck than skill, although it locked him into the playoffs. Since Logano has already locked himself into the playoffs this year, he's not going to be that desperate and he and the No. 22 team are likely going to ignore this race since there is no playoff date at this track. Even though his past finishes are solid, judging by how slow he was in last week's Coca-Cola 600, he seems unlikely to maintain his ninth-place starting position and will probably finish worse than he starts.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
Although Nashville Superspeedway did not become a part of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule until after Kyle Busch's elite period ended, Busch has still been a solid performer here, even if it hasn't been reflected in his finishes. He led 10 or more laps in each of his first three starts despite never finishing better than ninth, and even in his disastrous 2024 summer stretch, he was running fourth at the end of regulation before crashing twice. On paper, Busch should be a great selection for DFS place-differential points since he is starting 25th. However, in addition to his past mediocre finishes, he's been significantly slower on intermediate tracks this year and doesn't seem to have the speed he once did, especially after last Friday's Craftsman Truck Series race where he only finished 15th while his teammate Rajah Caruth won. Despite his past strong record here, Busch is likely to run worse than expected based on his 2025 form.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
Although 10th-place Nashville starter Chris Buescher got a bit of a reprieve as his penalty from the Kansas race was reduced from 60 points to 30, he's still having a somewhat baffling season. The once-poor qualifier is having a career year in qualifying with the second-best average start, but is simultaneously running a lot worse in the actual races than he did in 2023 and 2024. Given owner-teammate Brad Keselowski's downturn in speed, it does seem the RFK Racing cars are likely slower, but the really odd part is that the previously-mediocre Ryan Preece has been consistently faster than Buescher. Because Buescher remains one of the cleanest and least mistake-prone drivers, he's still good at finishing better than he runs, but he seems to be running worse despite qualifying much better. Given his recent race backslides and another strong qualifying run, expect him to fade again and consider starting his teammates instead.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
After delivering his teammate Joey Logano the ultimate gift last year in Nashville when his spinout with two laps remaining allowed Logano to climb from 14th to back into the playoffs after five overtimes, that will likely forever define his career here. Although Cindric finished 7th as a rookie, he has never had an average running position better than 22nd here. While he has run better on intermediates this year than any other, he often isn't getting finishes commensurate with how he ran. Both his stage wins came before Roger Penske's firing of Austin's dad Tim Cindric, which seems like it will likely cause instability and affect the remainder of Cindric's season. Austin must likely be worrying about his future now that Tim is gone especially since he'll probably never be as good as Logano or Ryan Blaney. Combining all that with Penske's typical complacency after their drivers qualify for the playoffs, Cindric will probably fail to meet expectations tonight.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
Ryan Preece has been this year's biggest positive surprise as after years of mediocrity, he has been seemingly consistently faster than his more highly-regarded teammates Chris Buescher and his boss Brad Keselowski and is even beating them in points despite being disqualified from his apparent second-place finish at Talladega. Although Preece finished fourth in last year's Nashville debacle, he didn't actually run any better than previous years as his average running position of 24th was only barely better than the previous two years, but he's been a lot faster this year than he ever has been before. His 19th-place qualifying position is his best here and he's been pretty consistently finishing better than he starts with five top tens after starts of worse than 20th in four of them. He's probably starting too well to be one of the top DFS choices, but he would definitely be a strong underdog pick who other players looking at his past performances might ignore.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
Although Noah Gragson has had a pretty invisible season, he shockingly ran in the top 10 for most of last week's Coca-Cola 600, and this week at Nashville, he's coming to a track where he did finish in the top 10 last year. However, that deserves a giant-size asterisk in that race, as he was only running 21st before the endless string of five overtime restarts. On Saturday, Gragson qualified 30th, and the Front Row Motorsports cars seem to be nowhere near as fast, as Zane Smith qualified 27th and Todd Gilliland qualified 35th. For this race, he will likely be let down by his qualifying position as passing will likely be at a premium, so he will likely have to rely on strategy or a fluky race like last year to be a top DFS option. However, he qualified poorly enough that he should definitely be considered.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
Although Michael McDowell starts eighth on Sunday at Nashville, this has not been one of his better tracks in general as he has never finished better than 13th nor posted a better average finish than 14th, so he will likely lose positions in the race. The Spire Motorsports cars have seemed to have a significant improvement in speed this year with all three drivers winning poles with Carson Hocevar battling for the lead last week in the Coca-Cola 600 before his engine failure, and McDowell himself improbably fighting for the win at Texas after never scoring a top-10 finish there before. McDowell might have some speed, but past history suggests he will likely finish worse than he starts, and there's no reason to consider him when Hocevar is a vastly better driver and is starting significantly worse.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June
1,
2025
Erik
Jones
and
his
Legacy
Motor
Club
teammate
John
Hunter
Nemechek
have
definitely
seemed
to
pick
up
speed
on
intermediate
tracks
in
recent
weeks
and
although
Jones
has
still
been
rather
anonymous,
he
has
seemed
to
regain
his
strong
passing
abilities
read more...
June 1, 2025
Although Corey Heim is only making his fifth NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville on Sunday, he actually finished last year's race where he started and finished 29th. Last year's race was so chaotic and unrepresentative that it's necessary to look at average running positions to predict this year's speed. While Heim's average running position of 22nd wasn't awful considering his inexperience, he was significantly slower than his veteran teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, who had average running positions of sixth and 14th, respectively. Both of them also qualified much better in Sunday's event, and it seems like they will be likely faster, which is not surprising since few drivers learn the Next Gen car quickly. Having said that, Heim was the highest finishing 23XI car in his last start at Kansas, but Reddick certainly ran significantly better despite his late collapse. The car is fast enough that he might be worth starting for DFS, but at $6,700, he's probably a little too overpriced.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
Cole Custer makes his return to Nashville after his two-year return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, starting from the 29th position on Sunday evening. In his two previous starts at Nashville, Custer actually qualified pretty well, starting seventh in 2021 and 17th in 2022 before eventually falling to 31st and 26th, respectively. His average running position was 21st in both races. Since he has been rather slow all season, he has tended to steadily lose positions here and is driving for a Haas Factory Team that does not seem to be as fast as Stewart-Haas Racing. He also qualified significantly worse, and it's hard to see a good reason to start him unless you think the race will be chaotic like it was last year. The only good things are that his DFS salary is only $5,300, and that not many of the top drivers qualified poorly.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
Ty Dillon qualified 31st for Sunday's race at Nashville Superspeedway, which is consistent with his 31st- and 32nd-place finishes in his two previous Nashville starts in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Since he got lapped multiple times in both races, it's hard to envision Dillon gaining enough positions to obtain sufficient place-differential points to be worth starting for DFS play on speed. However, last year's Nashville race was the most chaotic race of last season, as the actual finishing order was entirely unrepresentative of how drivers ran in the race. If you believe the race will be wacky like last year's, there might be a case to consider Dillon, especially since his DFS salary is only $5,000. However, if you think it will be a more humdrum affair like 2022 or 2023, you should likely look elsewhere.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 1, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder
George Springer starred in the team's 8-7 win over the Athletics on Saturday, going 2-for-3 with two solo home runs. He added a walk and an additional run scored. Springer's homers, both of which came against right-hander
Gunnar Hoglund, traveled a combined 850 feet of distance. While Springer had a rough month of May with just 18 hits in 86 at-bats, the four-time All-Star has still enjoyed a nice bounce-back year after a subpar 2024. Springer is off to a .257/.374/.480 start with eight homers, 23 RBI, seven steals, and a career-high 14.9% walk rate over 208 plate appearances. The 33-year-old has an appealing matchup against Athletics left-hander
JP Sears (5.18 ERA) on Sunday.
--Connor Byrne - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 31, 2025
Atlanta Braves right-hander
Spencer Schwellenbach (4-4) picked up his fourth win of the season in a 5-0 decision against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Schwellenbach celebrated his 25th birthday by striking out 11 over 6 1/3 innings, issuing no walks, and allowing just five hits (all singles). It was the second straight start with double-digit strikeouts for Schwellenbach, who fanned 11 Padres in a hard-luck defeat last Sunday. Schwellenbach has stormed out of the gates this season with a 3.13 ERA and 71 strikeouts against 12 walks across 74 2/3 frames. The budding star will go on the road to take on the San Francisco Giants next Friday.
--Connor Byrne - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 31, 2025
Atlanta Braves outfielder
Ronald Acuna Jr. smashed his third home run of the season in a 5-0 win against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Acuna delivered a 428-foot two-run shot against right-hander
Walker Buehler in the fourth inning. It was part of a 2-for-3 showing for Acuna, who singled, walked, and scored an additional run. Acuna didn't debut until May 23 after a year-long recovery from a torn left ACL, but the former MVP is making up for lost time. He's slashing a magnificent .367/.441/.733 through 34 plate appearances and has collected at least one hit in seven of eight games. Although Acuna has a tough matchup against Red Sox ace left-hander
Garrett Crochet on Sunday, he's a must-start for fantasy managers regardless of who's on the mound.
--Connor Byrne - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 31, 2025
Kansas City Royals right-hander
Michael Wacha shut down the Detroit Tigers with seven innings of one-hit ball in a 1-0 victory on Saturday. The 33-year-old carried a no-hitter into the seventh, but a
Colt Keith single put an end to the hurler's bid for history. Wacha (3-4) left in a scoreless tie, so he didn't factor into the decision. He finished with six strikeouts and just one walk on the way to his fifth quality start of the season. Wacha has somewhat quietly posted an outstanding 2.88 ERA in 68 2/3 innings this year, though he has only racked up 50 strikeouts along the way. He'll be a good option for fantasy managers in a road start against the Chicago White Sox on June 6. Wacha faced them back on May 7 and dazzled over seven scoreless innings.
--Connor Byrne - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 31, 2025
Detroit Tigers left-handed ace
Tarik Skubal continued rolling on Saturday, firing seven scoreless innings against the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers lost 1-0, but Skubal (5-2) did not factor into the decision. The reigning American League Cy Young winner limited the Royals to two hits, racked up seven strikeouts, and didn't walk anyone. Saturday's masterclass wrapped up an incredible month of May for Skubal, who yielded 10 earned runs in 41 innings and recorded a whopping 59 strikeouts against two walks. Skubal's season ERA is down to 2.26 with an absurd 99:7 K:BB in 75 2/3 frames. The 26-year-old will take a 16-inning scoreless streak into his next start - a meeting with the last-place Chicago White Sox on Thursday.
--Connor Byrne - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 31, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman
Rhys Hoskins was among a few offensive stars in their 17-7 outburst against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Hoskins torched his former team, going 2-for-6 with a pair of three-run homers against left-hander
Jesus Luzardo. Saturday's performance continued a nice bounce-back campaign for Hoskins, who had the worst season of his career in 2024 after leaving the Phillies for the Brewers in free agency. The 32-year-old slugger has opened 2025 with a .276/.374/.475 line, nine HRs, 35 RBI, and a healthy 13.1% walk rate in 214 trips to the plate. He'll go up against Phillies left-hander
Ranger Suarez on Sunday.
--Connor Byrne - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May
31,
2025
New
York
Mets
outfielder
Juan
Soto
broke
a
17-game
home
run
drought
on
Saturday
to
help
the
club
to
an
8-2
win
over
the
Colorado
Rockies.
Soto,
who
hadn't
gone
yard
since
May
9,
delivered
a
read more...
May 31, 2025
Houston Astros shortstop
Jeremy Pena was a rare bright spot for the team in a 16-3 blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. Pena drove in all of the Astros' runs on a couple of homers against right-hander
Zack Littell during a 2-for-3 afternoon, extending his hitting streak to seven games. This is shaping up to be a career campaign for the 27-year-old Pena, who's hitting a hearty .305/.367/.477 with nine HRs, 30 RBI, and nine steals over 246 plate appearances. Pena has helped his cause with a much-improved 13.8% strikeout rate that sits well below his lifetime rate of 19.6%. Next up, he'll face Rays righty
Taj Bradley on Sunday. Pena is 2-for-9 with a homer against Bradley.
--Connor Byrne - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 31, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander
Jesus Luzardo (5-1) took his first loss of the season in a 17-7 beating at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Luzardo lasted just 3 1/3 innings and allowed a stunning 12 earned runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts and three walks. He surrendered a pair of three-run homers to first baseman
Rhys Hoskins before the Phillies finally lifted him from the game. It was the first time Luzardo allowed more than three earned runs in a start this year. The blowup caused Luzardo's ERA to skyrocket by almost a run and a half, but he still carries a solid 3.58 mark with 81 strikeouts and 22 walks through 70 1/3 innings. Considering how well the 27-year-old has pitched for the vast majority of the season, he should be able to bounce back against the Pittsburgh Pirates' below-average offense next Friday.
--Connor Byrne - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 31, 2025
Seattle Mariners switch-handed pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje (right arm) exited his start on Saturday with an apparent injury. The 22-year-old was making his 12th High-A appearance (ninth start) of the season. He was replaced by Jordan Jackson with zero outs in the third inning. At the time of his departure, he had surrendered one run, three hits, and one walk while striking out three batters. The severity of Cijntje's injury is unclear, and it's possible that he was merely removed as a precaution. Mariners fans, prospect followers, and fantasy managers should stay tuned for additional updates coming out of Everett.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Mariners Minors
May 31, 2025
The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to call up left fielder
Davis Schneider prior to Sunday's game against the Athletics, according to Ari Alexander of KPRC. Schneider had an impressive 1.007 OPS during his rookie campaign in 2023, but he has struggled at the major league level ever since. He recorded just one hit through 10 games with Toronto earlier this year before being demoted. Meanwhile, at Triple-A, he's slashing a modest .226/.346/.391 with a 14.5 percent walk rate and 28.9 percent strikeout rate. The 26-year-old should continue to walk at an impressive rate, but he'll also likely continue to strike out at a high clip while failing to showcase significant power.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Ari Alexander
May 31, 2025
Texas Rangers outfielder
Adolis Garcia (rest) will be given "as many days off as he needs to unearth his best form," according to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. The 32-year-old has been sidelined since Wednesday without a disclosed injury. As McFarland notes, if Garcia doesn't play Sunday, he will have sat for five consecutive days before the start of the Rangers' next road trip. Manager Bruce Bochy told the media that the team has developed a plan for Garcia to follow before he returns to the field, and he'll be given ample rest time if needed. Rostered in 49 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues, Garcia owns a woeful .208/.256/.371 slash line with a 73 wRC+, 5.1 percent walk rate, and 26.5 percent strikeout rate.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Shawn McFarland
May 31, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman
Bryce Harper (elbow) threw a ball and swung a bat on Saturday, according to Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic. He has been sidelined since last Tuesday but appears to be trending in the right direction. Not only did he participate in some baseball activities today, but manager Rob Thomson also said the superstar "generally feels better." Furthermore, his X-rays came back negative, and he's expected to avoid a stint on the injured list. It's unclear if Harper will make it back into the lineup this weekend, but he should return to action relatively soon. The Phillies have a day off Monday before taking the field Tuesday in Toronto.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Charlotte Varnes
May 31, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Zack Littell took the mound and never left during Saturday's game against the Houston Astros. Littell got hit around early by allowing two home runs to
Jeremy Pena. After that, Littell settled down and kept the Astros off the board again. The Rays offense went insane and scored 16 runs, so Littell could relax on the mound. He ended up throwing his first career complete game as he allowed three earned runs on 10 hits while striking out six batters. It took 117 pitches, but Littell was able to get through the game by himself. The right-hander hasn't been much of a fantasy option this season, but does have some streaming appeal for his next outing against the Miami Marlins.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
May 31, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman
Junior Caminero has put together an incredible outing at the plate during their series against the Houston Astros. Caminero collected three hits, one homer, and knocked in six runs during the series opener. On Saturday, Caminero went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two home runs, and five RBI in the blowout victory. He smacked three homers and 11 RBI so far during this four-game series. Caminero was swinging the bat well before this series and needs to be rostered and started in basically all fantasy formats.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
May 31, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar
Shohei Ohtani (elbow) threw a live batting practice session on Saturday. This was the second time that Ohtani has faced live hitters this month. He continues to make progress, but there's still more work to do before he's ready to return to the mound. The Dodgers haven't given much of a timetable for Ohtani. The hope is that he'll be able to help as a pitcher in the second half, but the Dodgers aren't going to rush it. Fantasy managers who have Ohtani as a pitcher will hopefully get something out of him in the second half of the season.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jack Harris
May 31, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder
Garrett Mitchell (oblique) has been making slow progress since his injury in April. Mitchell suffered an oblique strain in late April and is likely to miss two months of action because of it. The organization was hopeful that Mitchell would be back on the roster by now. Sadly, Mitchell isn't making great progress, so he'll probably miss another month. Brewers manager Pat Murphy believes Mitchell should be back in the mix in early July. Mitchell isn't a great fantasy option, but is worth rostering in NL-only formats.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
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