4 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers first baseman
Freddie Freeman (ankle) said that he will play Saturday in Game 1 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres. At the time of his injury, he was told that it normally takes four to six weeks on the injured list before a player normally returns, but he will "try to do it in a week." The lefty ended the season strong before injuring his ankle, hitting for a .774 OPS in September. His presence will be a huge boost for the Dodgers, who get a tough matchup to start their series in
Dylan Cease. Freeman has three hits in nine plate appearances against Cease in his career, including a double. DFS managers will certainly want to target the Dodgers' first baseman on Saturday, though they should approach him with optimistic caution given his ankle injury and the high stakes of the series opener.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Bill Plunkett
4
weeks
agoPhiladelphia
Phillies
manager
Rob
Thomson
said
that
left-hander
Cristopher
Sanchez
will
take
the
ball
and
start
Game
2
of
the
National
League
Division
Series
on
Sunday
at
Citizens
Bank
Park
against
the
division-rival
New
York
Mets.
Right-hander
read more...
4 weeks agoNew York Mets right-hander
Kodai Senga (calf, triceps) will start Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, according to manager
Carlos Mendoza. "We'll see," Mendoza said when asked what Senga can actually give the Mets on Saturday. "We're going to let it play out." Senga is an interesting choice to open the series after pitching in just one big-league game all year due to shoulder, calf and triceps injuries. The 31-year-old Japanese hurler's one start came on July 26 against the Atlanta Braves, when he allowed two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and only one walk. Senga figured to only be a relief option for the Mets if he was included on their playoff roster, so he should operate as more of an opener on Saturday than a traditional starter. We wouldn't recommend using him in DFS on Saturday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: SNY
4
weeks
agoSan
Diego
Padres
right-hander
Joe
Musgrove
(elbow)
will
undergo
Tommy
John
surgery,
according
to
general
manager
A.J.
Preller.
It
was
announced
earlier
on
Friday
that
Musgrove
would
not
be
available
for
the
National
League
Division
Series
against
the
division-rival
Los
Angeles
Dodgers,
read more...
4 weeks agoAtlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said that the team is planning to exercise their 2025 club options for catcher
Travis d'Arnaud ($8 million) and left-handed reliever
Aaron Bummer ($7.25 million). d'Arnaud saw much more playing time than expected in 2024, even when
Sean Murphy was healthy. He was the better offensive backstop of the two also, hitting .238/.302/.436 with a .739 OPS, 15 home runs, 48 RBI and 40 runs scored in 99 regular-season games for Atlanta. The 35-year-old veteran should be expected to split duties at catcher with Murphy again in 2025. Bummer, 31, could be Atlanta's primary late-inning left-hander in 2025. In his first year with the Braves in 2024, he went 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings over his 56 appearances out of the bullpen.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: 929 The Game - Grant McAuley
4
weeks
agoAtlanta
Braves
president
of
baseball
operations
Alex
Anthopoulos
said
that
the
team
is
planning
to
exercise
their
club
option
for
the
2025
season
on
outfielder/designated
hitter
Marcell
Ozuna
for
$16
million.
It's
a
no-brainer
decision
after
Ozuna
made
the
All-Star
team
for
read more...
4 weeks agoAtlanta Braves left-hander
Chris Sale (back) threw a side session on Friday and felt great. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told Sale earlier this week that he would have been on the roster for the National League Division Series had the Braves advanced past the San Diego Padres in the Wild-Card Series. Sale had to be scratched from Game 2 of Monday's divisional doubleheader against the New York Mets and then was unavailable to pitch in either of the two games of the Wild-Card Series in San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was a disappointing end of the season for the 35-year-old veteran, who is the front-runner to win the National League Cy Young this year after going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 225 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings over his 29 starts in his first year with the Braves. The eight-time All-Star obviously still has lots of upside, but he's also a big injury risk at his age.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
4 weeks agoAtlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said it's too early to know when right-hander
Spencer Strider (elbow) will be back and said it could be as soon as Opening Day in 2025 or as late as early June, if for some reason he needed more time. Right now, there have been no setbacks for Strider or reason to think his timetable would be on the longer end. The 25-year-old had an internal-brace procedure done on his right elbow in the middle of April to fix UCL damage in his right elbow. Strider previously had Tommy John surgery on the same elbow, but the hope is that the internal-brace procedure will help him return sooner than later. Fantasy managers looking to draft Strider as their ace should have more clarity on a specific timetable once he gets deeper into his rehab this winter. Strider won a league-high 20 games for Atlanta in 2023 but started just two games in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - David O'Brien
4
weeks
agoAtlanta
Braves
president
of
baseball
operations
Alex
Anthopoulos
said
that
it's
too
early
to
know
when
outfielder
Ronald
Acuna
Jr.
(knee)
will
be
back.
Anthopoulos
said
it
could
be
as
soon
as
Opening
Day
or
as
late
as
early
June,
if
read more...
4 weeks agoMinnesota Twins senior vice president/general manager Thad Levine has stepped down from his post after eight seasons with the organization. Levine joined the Twins in November of 2016 as the team's senior VP and GM and played a pivotal role in helping drive the success of the Twins in the last eight years. In his time with the team, Minnesota captured three division titles and made the playoffs four times. Meanwhile, Derek Falvey will remain the team's president of baseball operations heading into the 2025 season. Levine and Falvey were both hired together eight years ago, but Levine has been less visible for the organization in recent seasons and will leave the organization with his contract expiring after the 2024 campaign. Levine interviewed for the Phillies president of baseball operations job back in 2020 and was one of the finalists last year for a front-office job with the Red Sox.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoJapanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano will be signing with an MLB team as an international free agent this winter, according to sources. Sugano, who turns 35 in a week, posted a tidy 1.67 ERA over 24 starts for the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball this year. He has won the Sawamura Award -- the equivalent of the Cy Young -- two times and has also been named the Central League MVP twice and is a four-time ERA champion. Sugano features a diverse six-pitch mix that features a four-seam fastball, two-seamer, slider, cutter, splitter and changeup. What he lacks in velocity he has made up for in command and pitchability. Over his 156 2/3 innings in 2024, Sugano walked only 16 batters and gave up six home runs while striking out 111. He spent a dozen seasons with the Giants, going 136-75.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
4 weeks agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor came up clutch for the Mets in Game 3 of the Wild Card series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, getting on base three times and scoring a run in a 4-2 win. Lindor had a double and a single early on in this one, but his biggest plate appearance came in the ninth inning. He went down 1-2 in the count to Brewers closer
Devin Williams before drawing a walk, which set the table for
Pete Alonso to smash a three-run homer later in the inning. Lindor has been fantastic all season and so far has continued that in the playoffs. He and the Mets will head to Philadelphia for the NLDS against the Phillies.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoMilwaukee Brewers first baseman
Jake Bauers delivered a clutch pinch-hit solo home run in the seventh inning of Game 3 in the Wild Card series against the New York Mets on Thursday. Bauers homer put the Crew in the lead, but unfortunately they could not hold on and ended up losing 4-2. Bauers finished the postseason 2-for-6 with a homer and an RBI. He will have a good chance to make the Brewers roster out of Spring Training next year if he remains with the team, but he would likely be a platoon option at best.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoMilwaukee Brewers outfielder
Sal Frelick came up clutch in Game 3 of the Wild Card series against the New York Mets, smashing a seventh-inning solo home run to give the Crew a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately for Frelick and the Brewers, they would end up blowing the game in the ninth inning and losing 4-2. The 24-year-old had a solid postseason, going 4-for-11 (.363) with a homer, a double, two runs scored, and one RBI. He will have a chance to earn an everyday role with the Brewers next season, although it may be difficult with
Christian Yelich returning and
Jackson Chourio solidified into a spot.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoNew York Mets closer
Edwin Diaz picked up his first win of the postseason on Thursday, tossing 1 ⅔ innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of their Wild Card series. Diaz came in after
Jose Butto gave up back-to-back homers and put the Mets down 2-0. He got the next five outs and set the stage for a big comeback in the top of the ninth. Diaz did end up throwing 39 pitches in this one, so his availability for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies could be up in the air. It is the postseason though, so if Diaz is needed, he will probably be ready to go.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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