1 week agoWashington Nationals second baseman
Luis Garcia Jr. and outfielder/designated hitter
Joey Gallo are both out of the lineup on Wednesday at Nationals Park against the division-rival Atlanta Braves and left-hander
Max Fried.
Ildemaro Vargas is starting at second base and batting eighth, while
Andres Chaparro serves as the DH and bats out of the three-hole against Fried. Garcia is in the midst of the best season of his career by far, as he came into Wednesday slashing .284/.322/.443 with career-highs in OPS (.766), home runs (15), RBI (63) and stolen bases (21) in a career-high 126 games played as Washington's starting second baseman. None of his 15 long balls on the year have come against southpaws, though, and he's also hitting just .167 (5-for-30) with eight strikeouts in 10 games over the last 14 days. It's a good day to get Garcia off his feet against a tough lefty.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Washington Nationals
1 week agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder/designated hitter
Kyle Schwarber (elbow) was scratched from Wednesday's starting lineup at Citizens Bank Park against the Tampa Bay Rays. Schwarber still feels something in his left elbow when he swings after leaving Tuesday's game early after diving back to first base on a pickoff. Manager Rob Thomson said he isn't concerned about it, and Schwarber could be back in the lineup on Friday for the start of a big series against the division-rival New York Mets after a scheduled day off on Thursday. The 31-year-old All-Star slugger did go deep on Tuesday before departing the contest early, and fantasy managers should consider him to be day-to-day for now. If he cannot return to action this weekend, then you can start worrying about his status the rest of the way.
Bryce Harper is the DH on Wednesday, with
Kody Clemens starting at first against the Rays.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Todd Zolecki
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that reports on shortstop
Bo Bichette's (calf) first minor-league game with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday night were that "he felt good." Bichette went 1-for-3 and played four defensive innings at the 6. He was on his feet more than planned, though, so he will not play on Wednesday but will "get back after it tomorrow," Schneider said. After the 26-year-old plays in around four or five games on the farm and if he can avoid any setbacks with a calf injury that has landed him on the injured, he should be able to return to the Blue Jays for the final several weeks of the season. Bichette, a two-time All-Star, has been one of the biggest fantasy busts in 2024 and will return to a .222/.275/.320 slash line with only four homers, 30 RBI and five steals on the year. Fantasy managers that have been holding him all this time are holding out hope he can finish strong.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet.ca - Shi Davidi
1 week agoNew York Mets outfielder
Jesse Winker is sitting out the team's game on Wednesday at Rogers Centre against the hosting Toronto Blue Jays.
Brandon Nimmo is starting in left field for the Mets and is batting cleanup against Blue Jays right-hander
Bowden Francis. Most of Winker's off days typically come when the Mets are facing a left-handed pitcher, but he also finds himself on the bench to start Wednesday's contest against a righty. The veteran left-handed-hitting outfielder has looked better in 35 games since being acquired in a trade at the deadline from the Washington Nationals, as he's hit .284 (27-for-95) with three homers, five doubles and 13 RBI for the Mets as they look to sneak into the playoffs in the National League. So far in September, though, Winker has struggled, going 2-for-22 (.091) with a homer, four RBI and seven strikeouts in nine games played.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays outfielder
Daulton Varsho and rookie first baseman
Spencer Horwitz are out of the starting lineup on Wednesday at Rogers Centre against the New York Mets with a left-hander on the mound. Rookie
Joey Loperfido will handle center-field duties and will bat eighth, while
George Springer will serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff against Mets lefty
Sean Manaea.
Nathan Lukes is in right field and is hitting in the two-hole. Springer has the quite the history against Manaea in 37 career at-bats, hitting .324 with a .768 OPS and six RBI, so he'll be a nice under-the-radar DFS sleeper while hitting leadoff. Horwitz has hit well in just his second MLB season in Toronto, but he's batting .193 (11-for-57) with none of his 12 home runs against southpaws in 2024, hence why he is on the bench on Wednesday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (calf), who left the team's game on Sept. 1 with left-calf tightness, has hit off the Trajekt pitching machine and is scheduled to do some running on Thursday. Gurriel was put on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Sept. 2) after testing showed his calf strain. The good news is that both he and manager Torey Lovullo said the injury isn't serious, and the hope is that Gurriel can return after missing the minimal amount of time on the IL. The 30-year-old is the club's regular left fielder when healthy, so the Snakes will want him back as they make their final push for another postseason appearance in September. The Cuban slugger was a first-time All-Star in 2023 in his first year in the desert and is currently hitting a respectable .274/.316/.428 with 17 homers, 70 RBI and seven stolen bases in his 125 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher
Gabriel Moreno (groin) has started running arcs at around 80 percent effort and is scheduled to catch a bullpen session on Wednesday as he begins to ramp up his activity as he recovers from a left-groin strain. Moreno left the team's Aug. 5 contest after running out a ground-ball single and landed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 6. An MRI exam revealed a strained left groin muscle. At the time, manager Torey Lovullo said the backstop would be out "weeks, not days," but there is optimism that Moreno will return before the end of the season. The Venezuelan catcher has hit a career-low .262 (72-for-275) this year and provided only five homers and 41 RBI in 86 games before his injury, but the D-backs would love to have him back as their starting catcher sooner than later as they make their final push for another postseason appearance.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoArizona Diamondbacks shortstop prospect
Jordan Lawlar (hamstring), the team's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, was assigned to Double-A Amarillo and activated from the seven-day minor-league injured list on Sunday. Lawlar aggravated his left hamstring in July, two games into a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League after initially hurting it running out a triple in the ninth inning of a game on June 15 at Triple-A Reno. The 22-year-old has a bright future at the next level, but injuries continue to get in the way of his development. He has only been able to play in 15 games at three minor-league levels in 2024 and has hit .304/.403/.482 with an .885 OPS, a homer, 16 RBI and five stolen bases in his 67 plate appearances. Given how much time he's missed due to injuries the last couple seasons, it's a long shot that the Snakes will call him up late this year or for the postseason if they qualify.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoThe Atlanta Braves selected the contract of infielder
Cavan Biggio from the minors on Wednesday and optioned infielder
Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.
Ozzie Albies (wrist) is still recovering from a fractured wrist, and now
Whit Merrifield (foot) could be in danger of landing on the 10-day injured list if he doesn't recover soon after fouling a ball off his foot recently. For now, the 29-year-old Biggio should see ample time at the keystone in Atlanta as the team tries to secure one of the final wild-card spots in the National League over the last few weeks of the season. Biggio was acquired from the San Francisco Giants last weekend. He's unlikely to move the fantasy needle at all the last few weeks of the season after hitting .197/.316/.306 with five homers and 19 RBI in 74 combined games with the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Braves
1 week agoThe Atlanta Braves placed right-hander
Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list with right-shoulder inflammation and recalled right-hander
Daysbel Hernandez from the minors in a corresponding move. The team also designated right-hander
Jimmy Herget for assignment. Lopez was forced to leave his start early on Tuesday against the division-rival Washington Nationals, and initial tests on his shoulder looked good, but further imaging showed inflammation, and he will now miss at least the next two weeks. It's been an excellent year for the 30-year-old right-hander but the elevated workload as a starter for the first time since 2019 appears to have caught up with him. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues can drop Lopez now, and it's more likely than not that Lopez will return in a relief role if the Braves secure one of the final wild-card spots in the National League.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Braves
1 week agoMiami Marlins rookie infielder
Connor Norby (foot) is back at third base and hitting leadoff on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and left-hander
Bailey Falter at PNC Park. Norby fouled a ball off his foot on Monday and was scratched from the starting lineup on Tuesday as a result, but the injury obviously wasn't serious enough to keep him sidelined for more than one day. With the Fish playing out the string in 2024, the 24-year-old prospect is going to see everyday playing time at third base the rest of the way. He's the team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and has looked good at the plate since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Orioles. Norby is already up to six home runs and has seven doubles, 13 RBI and two stolen bases in just 19 games played since coming to South Beach. Get him back into your starting lineups on Wednesday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoPittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher
Aroldis Chapman notched his eighth save of the season in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Marlins. The 36-year-old veteran came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first out on a strikeout, allowed back-to-back singles, got the second out on a fly-out, allowed an RBI single, and ended the game with another strikeout. Chapman has been inconsistent this season but has converted three of four save opportunities in the last seven days. He appears to be the fantasy arm to roster with
David Bednar recently being removed from the closer's role. Chapman has now converted eight of 13 save opportunities this season with a 4.18 ERA, a 14.63 K/9 rate, and a 6.27 BB/9 rate in 56 innings pitched this season.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoKansas City Royals starting pitcher
Seth Lugo turned in another excellent start in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Yankees. Lugo pitched seven innings, allowing three hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts. The 34-year-old veteran struggled to begin the second half of the season but has returned to his strong first-half form lately, tossing three consecutive seven-inning starts and notching four in his last five. Lugo now owns a 16-8 record with a 2.94 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and a 7.88 K/9 rate in 30 starts and 193 IP. He will have a good chance to extend his streak in his next start against the Tigers.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoBaltimore Orioles outfielder
Cedric Mullins continued his strong offensive September in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Red Sox. Mullins went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a two-run HR, a walk, and a stolen base. The 29-year-old snuck a first-inning
Kutter Crawford pitch just into the right-field seats and took Crawford deep to right field with more authority in the third inning. Mullins' season stats leave something to be desired, but he has been on fire in September, slashing .400/.500/.833 with four HR and two stolen bases in 30 at-bats. Mullins is currently rostered in 63 percent of leagues, so he could be available for fantasy managers looking for a hot bat to add down the stretch.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoAtlanta Braves outfielder
Michael Harris II played his part offensively in Tuesday's 12-0 rout of the Nationals. Harris II went 3-for-6 with a single, a pair of solo home runs, and a strikeout. The 23-year-old lined a fourth-inning
MacKenzie Gore slider into the right-field bullpen and crushed a 38-MPH
Ildemaro Vargas offering deep into the right-center seats in the ninth inning. Harris II has still not been able to replicate the success he found in his first two seasons, slashing .245/.285/.376 with 11 HR, 42 runs scored, 37 RBI, and eight stolen bases in 390 plate appearances while dealing with a strained left hamstring in the middle of the season.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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