1 week agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Clayton Kershaw (toe) was seen throwing off a mound on Wednesday, according to David Vassegh of SportsNet LA. The 36-year-old has been sidelined since late August due to a bone spur in his toe and is already starting to make significant progress in his recovery. The team has expressed that they do not expect the three-time Cy Young winner to return in the regular season but hope he will be available in October. Kershaw underwent offseason elbow surgery and missed a majority of the 2024 season before returning in late July. Through 30 innings this season, he has held a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Kershaw would bring a much-needed boost to a decimated Dodger rotation in the playoffs.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: David Vassegh
1 week agoCincinnati Reds starting pitcher
Brandon Williamson (elbow) suffered a full UCL tear and will need Tommy John surgery, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Williamson has battled injuries all summer and just made his 2024 debut earlier in September. Through this small stint, the 26-year-old held a 3.77 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP across 14 1/3 innings of work. The TCU product made his MLB debut last season and posted a 4.46 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP across 117 frames. The former second-round selection should be expected to miss the entire 2025 campaign and will now set his sights on returning in the 2026 campaign.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Mark Sheldon
1 week agoSt. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher
Lance Lynn (knee) was placed on the 15-day IL earlier on Wednesday due to right knee inflation and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2024 season. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals promoted their No.10 ranked prospect,
Michael McGreevy, from Triple-A Memphis. Through his first season in St. Louis, the 37-year-old held a 3.84 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP with a 44:109 BB:K ratio. After struggling through the first half of the summer with a 4.96 ERA, Lynn settled down in the second half with a much-improved 1.29 ERA. McGreevy made one appearance in the big leagues earlier this summer, back in July, where he tossed seven innings of one-run ball. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to how McGreevy performs over the final week of the season as he could contend for a spot in the rotation next spring.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Cardinals
1 week agoMilwaukee Brewers pitcher
Colin Rea was deployed in a long-relief role on Monday and could be shifting to a permanent role in the bullpen, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. In addition, McCalvy noted that Rea does not appear among the probable starting pitchers in their weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since the start of August, Rea has held a 6.05 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 4:33 BB:K ratio across 38 2/3 innings of work as a starter. Under the hood, the 34-year-old holds a 9.2% barrel rate and a 41.8% hard-hit rate, which place him in the bottom 21st and 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers, respectively. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Milwaukee rotation this weekend, as it could suggest who will be deployed as a starter in October.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Adam McCalvy
1 week agoChicago Cubs relief pitcher
Jorge Lopez (groin) was activated from the injured list on Wednesday, according to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. The 31-year-old has been sidelined since the beginning of September and should return to a high-leverage role in the Cubs bullpen. Before the injury, Lopez carried a strong 2.42 ERA and 1.21 WHIP since the beginning of July and tallied two saves in August. However, while he was sidelined,
Porter Hodge emerged as the ninth-inning option in the Northside and has tallied four saves since August 20. Fantasy managers looking to bolster their save count should look to add Lopez this weekend, as he could be in the mix for ninth-inning duties across the final week of the regular season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Maddie Lee
1 week agoBaltimore Orioles relief pitcher
Craig Kimbrel has been designated for assignment, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Kimbrel has carried a rough 13.94 ERA, 2.23 WHIP, and a 9:12 BB:K ratio since August 11 and has taken two losses during this period. In addition, he has not recorded a save since July 7 after tallying 23 through most of the first half. While he has still been able to generate strikeouts at an elite 31.5% rate, he has given up hard contact at a very high rate, with a 10.6% barrel rate and a 43.1% hard-hit rate. 29-year-old
Seranthony Dominguez has established himself as the go-to option in the ninth inning in Baltimore, as he has tallied nine saves across his past 12 1/3 frames of work. Kimbrel will now be a free agent and could eventually find a new home on a team looking to add a veteran piece to their bullpen.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
1 week agoSt. Louis Cardinals starting pitching prospect
Michael McGreevy is set to join the major league roster this afternoon, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. McGreevy got a brief taste of the major leagues earlier this summer as he allowed just one run across seven innings. At Triple-A this season, the No.10 ranked prospect in the St. Louis system has held a 4.02 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP through 150 innings of work. Woo further reported that the prospect is expected to be deployed in a long relief role for now but could eventually find his way into the starting rotation over the final week of the season. McGreevy could be a favorable streaming candidate if he were to make a start next week.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Katie Woo
1 week agoNew York Mets rookie starting pitcher
Christian Scott (elbow) is set to undergo a hybrid operation that combines a traditional Tommy John ligament replacement with an internal-brace procedure, according to Nate Heisler of the MLBAPA. The 25-year-old was placed on the 15-day IL back in July due to a UCL sprain and was not ruled out of returning later this summer. Unfortunately, the Florida product will now be sidelined for an extended period, and potentially all of the 2025 season, depending on the recovery timeline. Scott opened the season at Triple-A and held a strong 2.76 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 12:55 BB:K ratio across 42 innings of work before moving up to the majors. In the big leagues, Scott struggled with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. The right-hander remains one of the better young arms in the Mets system and should continue to be stashed in all dynasty formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Nate Heisler
1 week agoBoston Red Sox outfielder
Rob Refsnyder (wrist) was unavailable during the team's four-game series against the division-rival New York Yankees in the Bronx last weekend due to right-wrist soreness, and while the soreness isn't completely gone, he is available this week during the series in Tampa against the division-rival Rays. The Rays are starting three right-handers in the series, so the right-handed-hitting Refsnyder will most likely be used off the bench. The 33-year-old was scratched from the lineup last Thursday in the series opener against the Yanks and hasn't had an at-bat since Sept. 10 against the Orioles. Refsnyder is mostly valuable in deeper fantasy leagues for outfield depth and is a nice DFS sleeper target when the Red Sox face left-handers. He's hitting .284/.361/.472 on the year with an .833 OPS, 11 homers and 40 RBI in his 271 at-bats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoBoston Red Sox right-hander
Bryan Mata (elbow, lat) injured his right hamstring in spring training and started the season on the injured list. He went on four separate rehab assignments, but each of them ended with a setback, most of them arm-related. "He came out of his last one a little bit sore so we're back to, not step one, but we're running out of time," manager Alex Cora. "Pretty unlikely [he will pitch for Boston this season]." The hope was that Mata, who was once the team's top pitching prospect, would at least make his major-league debut in 2024, as the 25-year-old is out of options. It's been a frustrating year for the Venezuelan hurler as he tries to make his way to the big leagues for the first time. Mata pitched at four different levels of the minors in 2024 but threw only 22 2/3 innings over 11 outings (seven starts), giving up 12 runs (11 earned) while walking nine and fanning 20 hitters.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoBoston Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced following Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field that right-hander
Tanner Houck (shoulder) would start on Wednesday night. Houck, who hasn't pitched since Sept. 4 due to right-shoulder fatigue, was supposed to return last Friday to face the division-rival New York Yankees in the Bronx, but he was scratched less than an hour before first pitch. He has a career-low 21.1% strikeout rate in 2024 but also a career-best 6.6% walk rate. Despite the lack of strikeouts, the 28-year-old has been solid for the Red Sox and fantasy managers when healthy this year, going 8-10 with a 3.24 ERA (3.34 FIP), a 1.17 WHIP and a career-high 150 strikeouts in 28 starts (169 2/3 innings) as a first-time All-Star. He has been lights-out facing the Rays twice this year, giving up just three runs (one earned) while walking four and striking out 12 in 12 2/3 frames.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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1 week agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Alek Thomas (oblique) was reinstated from the seven-day minor-league injured list at Triple-A Reno on Tuesday. In his return to the field with the Aces on Tuesday, Thomas went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. The 24-year-old has been out of action for the past month with a strained right oblique but is working his way back and could be able to rejoin the big-league roster before the end of the regular season at the end of September. If Thomas does rejoin the D-backs and they make the postseason, he'll likely be a bench player and potential late-game replacement for his defense in center field. Thomas has played in a career-low 37 games in Arizona in 2024 in his third year in the majors and has hit just .191 (18-for-94) with three homers, 17 RBI and four steals.
Jake McCarthy has essentially taken over for Thomas at the big-league level.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
1 week agoArizona Diamondbacks veteran outfielder
Randal Grichuk (lower body) is back in the starting lineup as the designated hitter and is batting third for Wednesday's series finale against the division-rival Colorado Rockies and left-hander
Austin Gomber at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Grichuk will return to the lineup after he was scratched from Sunday's lineup due to lower-body tightness, and he sat out each of the last two games of the series against his old team before returning on Wednesday. The 33-year-old has been a platoon player for the Snakes in 2024 and has hit an impressive .288/.344/.508 with an .852 OPS, 10 home runs and 41 RBI in his 97 games played. He's been a lefty killer as well, hitting .305 (47-for-154) with half of his 10 homers against southpaws, making him an attractive DFS play on Wednesday at Coors Field.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoChicago White Sox left-hander
Jared Shuster will serve as the team's opener on Wednesday in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in what will be a bullpen game for the Pale Hose. Shuster has appeared in 36 games for the White Sox in 2024, but only three of those outings have been starts. The 26-year-old former 25th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2020 out of Wake Forest has posted a 4.54 ERA (4.69 FIP) and a 1.50 WHIP with 51 strikeouts and 29 walks in 67 1/3 total innings, so he hasn't exactly been dominant in his second year in the big leagues. His last start actually came recently on Sept. 9, when he allowed three earned runs with no walks and five strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Shuster has not gone over three innings of work since July 26 and should be avoided as a fantasy streamer, even in the good matchup.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Tribune - LaMond Pope
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