2 weeks agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Nolan Jones is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for the young slugger who has been in a slump at the plate lately. Jones is hitting .209 with three home runs and 25 RBI in 74 games this season.
Sam Hilliard will cover left field and bat sixth while
Jordan Beck takes over right field against right-hander
Michael McGreevy. Hilliard could be a low-end streaming option as he's posted a .254 batting average with nine long balls this season.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
2 weeks agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Ian Happ (back) has returned to left field and will bat leadoff on Tuesday in Game 2 of the series at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies and left-handed opener
Tanner Banks. Happ is returning to the lineup after missing the last two games due to tightness in his lower back, but apparently he's feeling good enough to go on Tuesday. The 30-year-old switch-hitter has hit .250 (35-for-140) with seven of his 25 home runs on the year against southpaw pitchers. He's batting .284 (23-for-81) with two home runs, a double, a triple, nine RBI and two stolen bases in 19 games in the month of September, but he's also gone hitless in three of his last four games before sitting out a few games with his back injury. Happ will be a nice DFS target against a Phillies team expected to be hungover on Tuesday after celebrating winning the National League East on Monday night.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Cubs
2 weeks agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Brenton Doyle (knee) is starting in center field and is batting third for the Rockies on Tuesday at Coors Field against the St. Louis Cardinals and rookie right-hander
Michael McGreevy. Doyle will return on Tuesday after missing the three-game series over the weekend versus the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers due to right-knee soreness. The 26-year-old will now hope to finish off the 2024 season on a strong note in the final few days. Even if he doesn't, it's been a standout year for Doyle, who comes into Tuesday's contest with a .264/.321/.449 slash line, .770 OPS, 22 home runs, 71 RBI, 29 stolen bases and 81 runs scored in 145 games in just his second year in the majors. Doyle's power-speed combination at Coors Field will make him a popular fantasy outfielder heading into 2025 drafts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoKansas City Royals right-hander
Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) will make the start for the team on Wednesday at Nationals Park against the Washington Nationals, with right-hander
Alec Marsh moving to the bullpen to close out the 2024 regular season, according to manager Matt Quatraro. Lorenzen will come off the 15-day injured list to make his first start since late August due to a hamstring strain, so don't be surprised if he doesn't go very deep into his start after the long layoff. It is an enticing matchup for fantasy managers still playing for something in the final week of the season. The 32-year-old veteran will be hoping to pick up where he left off after being acquired by the Royals, as he's pitched to a 1.85 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 17 strikeouts and 10 walks in 24 1/3 innings over his first five starts in KC. Lorenzen began the year in Texas.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Anne Rogers
2 weeks agoMinnesota Twins right-hander
Chris Paddack (forearm) faced live hitters on Monday and plans to throw again on Thursday, with a decision point possibly coming after that this weekend as to whether the team will activate him from the 15-day injured list. The 28-year-old has been out since late July with a strained right forearm, though, so he would almost certainly return in a relief role for Minnesota at the tail end of the regular season. The Twins are currently on the outside looking in for a wild-card spot in the American League, so they have work to do this week if Paddack wants to pitch at all in the postseason. Before his injury earlier this year, Paddack was inconsistent as a starter for the Twins, posting a 4.99 ERA (4.18 FIP), a 1.39 WHIP and a 79:21 K:BB in his 17 starts covering 88 1/3 innings pitched. He also had a career-low 20.6% strikeout rate.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Do-Hyoung Park
2 weeks agoMinnesota Twins outfielder
Max Kepler (hip, knee) isn't expected to return from the 10-day injured list in the regular season, which ends this Sunday, according to manager Rocco Baldelli. Knee tendinitis sent Kepler to the IL at the beginning of the month, and he also received a cortisone injection for his hip pain last week. If the Twins secure a spot in the postseason this week, the 31-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder could rejoin them for a playoff run in October. The Twins probably aren't banking on Kepler being a big part of their offense if they are playing in October, though, as he battled injuries all year long and has hit a very mediocre .253/.302/.380 with only eight home runs, 42 RBI and 43 runs scored in 368 at-bats over 399 plate appearances. Since the All-Star break, Kepler has hit .246 (30-for-122) with two homers, 10 RBI and 28 K's in 33 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Do-Hyoung Park
2 weeks agoAtlanta Braves right-hander
Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) threw a side session on Tuesday, and it sounds like there's a chance he could be activated off the 15-day injured list to work as a reliever or starter in the final week of the regular season as the Braves try to secure the final wild-card spot in the National League. Lopez is eligible to come off the 15-day IL on Thursday as he works his way back from inflammation in his right shoulder. It would be a pretty big surprise if the 30-year-old returned in a starting role this weekend despite the fact that he's been excellent for Atlanta this year with an 8-5 record, 2.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 137 strikeouts in 128 2/3 innings over his 24 starts in a return to a starting role in 2024. If Lopez does start this weekend against the Kansas City Royals, he'll surely be on a limited pitch count.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
2 weeks agoThe Washington Nationals placed rookie infielder
Andres Chaparro on the paternity list on Tuesday and recalled outfielder
Stone Garrett from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move. Chaparro will almost certainly be away from the team for the entire three-game series against the Kansas City Royals this week before returning to the club for the final series of the season this weekend against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. The 25-year-old has hit just .215 (26-for-121) with four home runs, 12 doubles, 15 RBI, one steal, seven walks and 24 strikeouts in 132 trips to the plate in his first 33 major-league games for the Nats in 2024.
Juan Yepez is making the start at first in D.C. on Tuesday against Royals left-hander
Cole Ragans and could play regularly this series with Chaparro away from the team to welcome a child into his family.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Jessica Camerato
2 weeks agoCincinnati Reds right-hander
Jakob Junis (personal) has been scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field due to personal reasons and is now expected to start on Wednesday. Right-hander
Carson Spiers will make a spot start on Tuesday in Cleveland as a result. Junis will now have an extra day of rest before facing the Guardians on the road in the final week of the 2024 regular season. The 32-year-old has been great all year, but especially of late, allowing only three earned runs on eight hits while walking just one and fanning 15 over 19 2/3 innings in his last four starts against the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. Junis has only thrown 62 innings in 2024 due to injury, but he's posted a nice 2.61 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 23 outings (five starts) when healthy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Cincinnati Enquirer - Charlie Goldsmith
2 weeks agoAtlanta Braves third baseman
Austin Riley (hand) will not return this season, according to manager Brian Snitker. Riley's hand simply was not healing fast enough after he had a CT scan on Monday. Even if the Braves sneak into the postseason in a wild-card spot, Riley will not be able to help them out in October. It's a big blow to a team that basically needs to win each game this week to have a shot at getting into the playoffs. The 27-year-old right-handed slugger is out with a fractured hand and will finish a disappointing year after making the All-Star squad in both 2022 and 2023. In 110 games played in 2024, he slashed .256/.322/.461 with a .783 OPS, 19 home run, 56 RBI and 63 runs scored. Riley had clubbed 30-plus homers in each of the previous three seasons. The slick-fielding
Gio Urshela should be Atlanta's primary third baseman the rest of the way.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Grant McAuley
2 weeks agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher
Gabriel Moreno (groin) is doing the catching and is hitting eighth in the batting order on Tuesday versus the division-rival San Francisco Giants and right-hander
Logan Webb at Chase Field for the second game of the series. Moreno didn't play in the series-opening loss to the Giants on Monday after he was removed from Sunday's contest against the Milwaukee Brewers with left-groin tightness. The Diamondbacks need all hands on deck as they try to secure a wild-card spot in the National League in the final week of the regular season, so the 24-year-old backstop is back in action. The Venezuelan catcher has gone 6-for-15 (.400) with an RBI and four walks in six games since returning from the IL, but he faces a tough matchup against Webb on Tuesday. In 11 career at-bats against Webb, Moreno is hitting .364 with a .728 OPS.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) remains out of the starting lineup for the opener of a huge divisional series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Tuesday. Rookie infielder
Luisangel Acuna will make yet another start at the 6 and will bat ninth against Braves right-hander
Spencer Schwellenbach. Lindor continues to deal with a nagging back issue and will miss his eighth straight start as a result. The 30-year-old received an injection in his back recently and hopes to return to the lineup soon to help the Mets try and secure a wild-card spot in the National League. Lindor has had an MVP-like season in 2024, so not having his bat in the lineup at this crucial point in the season is bad news for the Mets. Acuna hasn't looked like a rookie in his nine games played since debuting on Sept. 14, going 11-for-29 (.379) with three homers, two doubles, a triple and six RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoBoston Red Sox infielder
Kristian Campbell was named the 2024 Minor-League Player of the Year on Tuesday. Campbell is considered Boston's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he earns the honors despite finishing the year on the seven-day injured list at Triple-A Worcester with a left-lat strain. The 22-year-old began the year at High-A Greenville before being promoted to Double-A Portland and then Worcester. At all three levels combined, he hit .330/.439/.558 with a .997 OPS, 20 home runs, 32 doubles, three triples, 77 RBI, 24 stolen bases and 94 runs scored in 115 games over 517 plate appearances. The 6-foot-3, 191-pounder bats right-handed has always excelled at making contact but is now starting to develop more power as well. Campbell can play short, second and the outfield, but he's likely to stick at the keystone at the next level, potentially as early as 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball America
2 weeks agoThe Pittsburgh Pirates designated first baseman
Rowdy Tellez and outfielder
Michael Taylor for assignment on Tuesday and recalled infielder
Liover Peguero and outfielder
Joshua Palacios from Triple-A Indianapolis in corresponding moves. The Pirates have decided to move on from a couple of veterans with the end of the 2024 regular season quickly approaching on Sunday. The 29-year-old Tellez has really struggled of late and will finish his season with a .243/.299/.392 slash line, a below-average .691 OPS, 13 home runs and 56 RBI in 131 games played for the Bucs.
Connor Joe and
Billy Cook figure to split first-base duties the rest of the week. Taylor, 33, hit a lowly .193/.253/.290 with five home runs, 21 RBI and 12 stolen bases in a reserve role in Pittsburgh.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh Pirates
2 weeks agoThe Baltimore Orioles announced on Tuesday that they released veteran right-handed reliever
Craig Kimbrel after recently designating him for assignment. Kimbrel opened the 2024 season as the Orioles' closer and saved 23 games for the second straight season, but the nine-time All-Star also struggled to a 5.33 ERA (4.18 FIP) and a 1.36 WHIP with 73 strikeouts and 31 walks in 52 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. Since the All-Star break, he posted an 11.50 ERA (7.44 FIP) with 21 strikeouts and 17 walks in 18 innings over 19 appearances to convince the Orioles to move on. The 15-year MLB veteran is 36 years old and is nearing the end of his career, but he should be able to latch on with another organization for the 2025 campaign if he wants to continue pitching. At this point, though, it's unlikely that Kimbrel will be used as a primary closer if he continues his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Jake Rill
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