1 week agoCincinnati Reds outfielder
Will Benson (finger) was forced to leave Thursday's game early against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals when his fingers were hit while trying to bunt. X-rays came back negative on Benson, though, and he was diagnosed with a bruised left middle finger. Before exiting the eventual 6-1 loss, Benson was hitless in his only at-bat with a strikeout. He was replaced by pinch-hitter
Amed Rosario and was eventually replaced in left field by
Jake Fraley. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should consider Benson day-to-day, but don't be surprised if he's not available for Friday's series opener in Minnesota against the Twins at Target Field. The 26-year-old former 14th overall pick by the Cleveland Guardians in 2016 has a modest power/speed combination as a platoon player in Cincy with 14 homers and 14 stolen bases, but his .191 average (62-for-325) has been a real drag.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Cincinnati Enquirer - Gordon Wittenmyer
1 week agoMiami Marlins middle infielder
Xavier Edwards and outfielder
Jesus Sanchez are out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Edwards will start out on the bench for the third straight game, and it remains to be seen if he's being bothered by a back injury that recently caused him to go on the injured list.
Otto Lopez is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff, while
David Hensley is in right field for the Fish and batting seventh against Nationals left-hander
Mitchell Parker. Lopez is hitless in his three career at-bats against Parker, but he also comes into this one riding a six-game hitting streak in which he's gone 11-for-24 (.458) with a homer, three doubles and four RBI. Sanchez, who hits from the left side, is batting just .146 (13-for-89) against lefties in 2024 with only two of his 17 home runs.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoThe Toronto Blue Jays claimed right-hander
Brett de Geus off waivers from the Miami Marlins on Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. de Geus will give the Blue Jays some extra relief depth in the minors for the rest of the 2024 season. The 26-year-old former 33rd-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 out of Cabrillo College has appeared in 11 combined games in relief for the Seattle Mariners and Marlins this year, allowing six earned runs (five earned) on 11 hits while walking two and striking out six in nine innings pitched. de Geus made his major-league debut in 2021 with the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks but didn't resurface in the majors until this year. In his 59 relief innings in the big leagues, he has a 7.17 ERA and 1.69 WHIP with 47 K's and 27 walks in 58 appearances out of the bullpen.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Keegan Matheson
1 week agoThe Cleveland Guardians placed right-hander
Alex Cobb (finger) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday and recalled reliever
Andrew Walters from the minors in a corresponding move. Cobb was scratched from his scheduled start last weekend due to a blister on his right pitching hand and he'll now miss the next couple of weeks. At this point, Cleveland is probably just hoping to have the 36-year-old healthy for the postseason, where he'll likely be a long reliever if he's even on the roster after making only three starts in 2024 due to injuries. Walters, the team's No. 22 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was the team's second-round pick in 2023. He has a 2.32 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 50 innings in the minors this year with Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. With Cobb now back on the IL, both
Joey Cantillo and
Ben Lively should stick in Cleveland's rotation down the stretch.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Zack Meisel
1 week agoCleveland Guardians rookie first baseman/outfielder
Jhonkensy Noel is out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. With Noel back on the bench after starting each of the last three games,
Will Brennan will make the start in right field and will bat seventh against Rays right-hander
Ryan Pepiot. Noel does have 13 home runs in his first 55 big-league games with Cleveland this year, but he's also hitting only .232 (35-for-151) and has 55 strikeouts in 169 plate appearances. The Dominican slugger has really struggled of late, too, as he doesn't have a hit since Sept. 2. In nine games in September, Noel has gone 2-for-23 (.087) with a double, two RBI and 10 strikeouts. The left-handed-hitting Brennan has not recorded a hit in only three career at-bats against Pepiot and should be considered a low-upside DFS sleeper.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoLos Angeles Angels right-hander
Carson Fulmer (elbow) felt something in his elbow in his start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 25 but pitched through it without any issues. But his elbow continued to bother him when he tried to throw a bullpen session, and he was put on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 30. Fulmer has progressed to playing light catch and he is still hoping to return at some point before the end of the season at the end of September. He is continuing to ramp up his throwing program. The 30-year-old has operated as a swing man for the Angels in 2024, going 0-5 with a 4.15 ERA (4.56 FIP), a 1.31 WHIP and a 79:37 K:BB in 32 appearances (eight starts) over 80 1/3 innings before his injury. At this point with the Angels playing out the string, it feels unlikely that we'll see Fulmer pitching again in 2024 at the big-league level.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Kevin Pillar (thumb) was removed for a pinch-hitter late in the team's loss to the division-rival Texas Rangers on Sept. 6 and was placed on the 10-day injured list the next day with a left-thumb sprain. The Angels are holding out hope that Pillar can return before the end of the regular season, though, according to manager Ron Washington. However, Pillar still hadn't progressed to baseball activities as of Monday. The 35-year-old veteran is going to need to start improving soon if he wants to play again in 2024, but the out-of-contention Halos don't have any incentive to rush him back at this point. Pillar was brought in for outfield depth this year, mainly because of
Mike Trout's (knee) injury, and he has provided a mediocre .251/.299/.396 slash line with a below-average .695 OPS, six home runs, 40 RBI and eight steals in his 76 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoLos Angeles Angels rookie outfielder
Bryce Teodosio (finger) was hit by a pitch on his right middle finger when he attempted to drop down a bunt in the seventh inning on Tuesday in the loss to the Minnesota Twins. Teodosio stayed in the game and picked up his first major-league hit before later leaving, and X-rays showed a small fracture in his finger. He was held out of the lineup on Wednesday, but manager Ron Washington said that Teodosio is expected to avoid the injured list and could return at some point this weekend. The 25-year-old has played in only four games for the Halos since being called up from the minors and has gone just 1-for-12 with no walks and five strikeouts. Teodosio is not one of the Angels' top prospects, but he could see some decent playing time down the stretch once he returns from his finger injury as the team plays out the string in another disappointing season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoThe Atlanta Braves reinstated catcher
Travis d'Arnaud from the paternity list on Thursday and optioned catcher
Chadwick Tromp to Triple-A Gwinnett after Wednesday's game in a corresponding move. The Braves have a scheduled day off on Thursday before they start a crucial four-game series on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. d'Arnaud was away from the team for three games earlier this week as he welcomed a new addition to the family. The 35-year-old veteran will return to sharing time behind the dish in Atlanta with
Sean Murphy. He's having another solid season as a platoon catching option for the Braves in 2024 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI to go with a .245/.306/.456 slash line in 90 games played. d'Arnaud will now look to get going after picking up just three hits in 16 at-bats with seven strikeouts in five games in September.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Braves
1 week agoThe Minnesota Twins reinstated outfielder
Byron Buxton (hip) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned utility man
Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. Buxton was fully expected to come off the IL and rejoin the Twins on Friday before their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field. Minnesota has made the move to reinstate Buxton a day earlier. The Twins have a scheduled day off on Thursday, but Buxton should be back in the lineup on Friday night. The oft-injured 30-year-old outfielder will return to being an everyday player for the Twins, although he could be eased in at first with designated hitter duties before eventually taking over in center field. Buxton has only six steals in 90 games in 2024 but has hit a nice .275 (84-for-305) with 16 homers and 49 RBI in his 10th year in the league.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Minnesota Twins
1 week agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher
Willson Contreras (finger), who is currently sidelined with a broken left middle finger, will be re-evaluated on Monday, and the Cardinals will then plan his path to a return, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Contreras didn't need surgery on his finger and has been out of a splint for the past week and is eager to return before the end of the 2024 season. The 32-year-old veteran backstop has been out since Aug. 24, and if he does manage to make it back before the end of September, it might only be for a handful of games, so fantasy managers shouldn't be counting on him at all the rest of the way. In the meantime, rookie
Pedro Pages and
Ivan Herrera will continue to split playing time behind the plate. Contreras was well on his way to a fourth straight 20-plus-homer season in 2024 before suffering the second serious injury of the campaign.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - John Denton
1 week agoHouston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Thursday that outfielder
Kyle Tucker (shin) should play right field in Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels on the road for the first time since coming off the 60-day injured list last Friday. Tucker has been serving as the team's designated hitter since returning last week and has struggled at the plate, going 2-for-11 with two RBI, two walks and four strikeouts in his first four games back. It's good news that he'll be moving back to a defensive role this weekend, as it shows he hasn't had any setbacks after recovering from a fractured shin that kept him out since early June. While the 27-year-old left-handed slugger has looked a bit rusty offensively, he still has time to be a difference-maker for both the Astros and fantasy managers down the stretch in the final few weeks of the regular season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
1 week agoNew York Yankees left-hander
Nestor Cortes will make the start on Thursday in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium for the series opener against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Cortes' last appearance came as a piggyback to starter
Clarke Schmidt last Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, when he went 4 1/3 shutout innings to pick up his ninth win while walking one and striking out three. His last start came on Sept. 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he allowed five earned runs and nine hits in four innings. Outside of that outing, though, Cortes has a 1.86 ERA with 23 K's and only four walks in his last five outings (four starts) covering 29 innings. In his two starts against Boston this year, Cortes has allowed five earned runs on 12 hits while walking three and striking out 13 in 10 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old southpaw has pitched much better of late, but Boston ranks sixth in team OPS (.754) in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Daily News - Gary Phillips
1
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agoOakland
Athletics
outfielder
Seth
Brown,
infielder
Max
Schuemann
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first
baseman
Ryan
Noda
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all
out
of
the
starting
lineup
for
Thursday's
series
finale
against
the
division-rival
Houston
Astros
at
Minute
Maid
Park.
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1 week agoHouston Astros second baseman
Jose Altuve (side) is not in the team's starting lineup on Thursday at Minute Maid Park for the series finale against the division-rival Oakland Athletics. Altuve's absence shouldn't come as a surprise after he was forced from Wednesday night's win over Oakland due to right-side tightness. Manager Joe Espada said after the game that he's not really concerned about Altuve's injury, with the team calling him day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers need to get the 34-year-old All-Star out of their lineups on Thursday and check back on Friday to see if he's available for the series opener in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels.
Mauricio Dubon is at the keystone and batting ninth on Thursday against A's right-hander
Mitch Spence. If Altuve misses additional time, Dubon will likely see most of the starts at second in his place for Houston.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
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