6 days agoChicago Cubs outfield prospect
Owen Caissie (groin) went 1-for-3 with a solo shot during their victory over Triple-A Omaha. Caissie was on a slower ramp-up program during camp after undergoing offseason core-muscle surgery. He was experiencing groin tightness and was in danger of missing the start of the Triple-A season. However, the No. 3 prospect in the Chicago system covered right field and batted in the two-hole in the season opener. He launched a 426-foot solo blast in the seventh inning. Last season, Caissie spent the entire campaign with Triple-A Iowa. Across 127 contests, the former second-round pick posted a .278/.375/.472 slash line with 29 doubles and 19 long balls. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his production at Triple-A, as he should be in the mix for a promotion early in the 2025 season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoDetroit Tigers catcher
Dillon Dingler went 2-for-5 with a triple and a solo home run, collecting three RBI and scoring once in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Dodgers. The home run was a 410-foot blast that came in a two-strike count off of starter
Yoshinobu Yamamoto that put the Tigers up 1-0 at that point in the game. The 6-foot-1 backstop hit at least 12 home runs or more in four consecutive seasons in the minors, but managed just one last year for the Tigers in 84 at-bats, so it's good to see him get the first one of 2025 out of the way early. The 26-year-old will split catching duties with veteran
Jake Rogers, and whoever draws the start Saturday will have a tough task ahead of them with pitching phenom
Roki Sasaki set to take the hill for Los Angeles.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays infield prospect
Chandler Simpson went 3-for-6 at the plate with a run during the Triple-A season opener against the Norfolk Tides. Simpson tallied three singles. He was able to score off an
Eloy Jimenez double in the fifth inning. Simpson spent the 2024 campaign at High-A and Double-A and looked quite comfortable during his Triple-A debut. In 32 games with High-A, Simpson posted a strong .364/.431/.372 line. Then, in 78 games with Double-A Montgomery, Simpson posted a similar .351/.401/.407 slash line. In the Grapefruit League, the Georgia Tech product posted a .240/.296/.204 slash line. Fantasy managers should monitor his progression with the Durham Bulls, as he should be in contention for an MLB debut later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB Central
6 days agoNew York Mets outfielder
Juan Soto smacked his first home run in a Mets uniform in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros. It was a solo shot and his only hit of the day, going 1-for-3 with a walk in the contest. That makes him 2-for-6 with three walks (.556 OBP) after the team's first two regular season games. The 26-year-old signed a massive 15-year, $765 million contract with New York in the offseason, bringing his career .285/.421/.533 slash line along with him. The left-handed slugger seems to be fitting in just fine so far, and will face Astros' RHP
Spencer Arrighetti on Saturday night. Soto is 2-for-3 with a home run off Houston's starter, so be on the lookout for some fireworks again.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoMinnesota Twins outfield prospect
Emmanuel Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI during their victory over Indianapolis on Friday evening. In the opening frame, Rodriguez would tally his first hit of the evening, which was a single. In the third, Rodriguez would tally a two-run double, which scored
Ryan Fitzgerald and
Austin Martin. Later in the sixth, he would reach first via a walk and cap off his evening with another single in the seventh. The 22-year-old is considered the No. 2 prospect in the system on MLB.com, only behind budding superstar
Walker Jenkins. Last summer, Rodriguez spent most of his time at Double-A and only received a brief look at Triple-A. If he continues to produce at Triple-A, the 22-year-old should be in the mix for an MLB debut in the second half of the season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoMinnesota Twins starting pitcher
David Festa tossed five shutout innings in his first Triple-A start of the campaign. He allowed just three hits and tallied four punchouts. Festa was competing for a spot in the Opening Day rotation but fell short. In spring training, Festa struggled as he posted a high 11.91 ERA with a 1.94 WHIP across 11 1/3 innings of work. However, the Seton Hall product was able to get himself back on track on Friday evening. Fantasy managers in deeper formats should continue to monitor his status at Triple-A, as he could eventually work his way back to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut last summer and posted a 4.90 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. Across 60 1/3 innings with Triple-A St. Paul last summer, Festa held a 4.03 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. For now,
Simeon Woods Richardson will operate as the No. 5 starter in Minnesota.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoAthletics infield prospect
Max Muncy went 1-for-4 with his first career home run during their victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday evening. Muncy would go deep in the eighth off Seattle left-hander
Tayler Saucedo. This was also his first career MLB hit. Muncy was able to break camp with the MLB roster due to
Zack Gelof (wrist) opening the campaign on the injured list. During the first two games of the season, Muncy has been deployed as the starting second baseman. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his development, but it appears he will continue to see everyday opportunities in the starting lineup. Last season, the former 25th overall pick posted a solid .277/.374/.491 line across 50 games at Triple-A. He is worth monitoring in deeper formats as he could be a viable middle infielder if he continues progressing at the MLB level.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoTexas Rangers starting pitching prospect
Jack Leiter tossed five innings of one-run ball en route to earning the victory on Friday evening against the Boston Red Sox. Leiter tallied four punchouts and allowed five hits. His lone run allowed came in the fourth inning when outfielder
Wilyer Abreu hit an RBI single. This was a strong outing for the former No. 2 overall pick. Last summer, Leiter made his MLB debut and did not find much success as he posted an 8.83 ERA with a 1.71 WHIP across 35 2/3 innings. He tallied 31 strikeouts and served up walks at a high 9.8 percent rate. However, even though his control was an issue in the minor leagues, Leiter flashed elite strikeout upside. At Triple-A, he tossed 77 innings and tallied 110 punchouts. He will look to build off this promising outing on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Kevin Gausman logged six innings and allowed two earned runs and three hits en route to earning the victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday evening. He struck out four and served up one free pass. He did not allow a baserunner in the first two innings. His first blemish came in the third, when
Jackson Holliday hit a solo shot. Later in the fourth, Gausman would run into some more trouble as he served up a leadoff walk to
Adley Rutschman, who would eventually score on a
Tyler O'Neill sacrifice fly. Over his final two innings, he would only allow one hit to conclude his outing. This was a strong start for Gausman as he struggled to find consistency throughout the 2024 season, as he posted a modest 3.85 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He will look to have another quality start on Wednesday when he faces the Nationals.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMiami Marlins infielder
Otto Lopez went 1-for-3 with a home run during their loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday evening. Lopez would launch his two-run shot in the final frame, which also scored
Matt Mervis. Lopez hit the long ball off Pittsburgh closer
David Bednar. Through his first two games of the campaign, Lopez has gone 2-for-6 with one home run, three RBI, and a 2:1 BB:K. He is expected to continue being deployed as Miami's everyday second baseman. Last season, the 26-year-old appeared in a career-high 117 MLB contests and posted a .270/.313/.377 slash line with 23 doubles, six long balls, and 20 swiped bags. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his production as he could be a solid middle infielder to target in category leagues, given his ability to steal bases and the potential to hit for power. On Saturday, he will face Pittsburgh southpaw
Bailey Falter.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoPittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Oneil Cruz went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI during their victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday evening. Cruz reached first base for the first time in the fourth inning via a base on balls. He then proceeded to swipe second base and would then advance to third on a throwing error. This was already his second stolen base of the season as he swiped one on Opening Day. In his next at-bat, Cruz would launch a 115 mph two-run shot, which scored
Tommy Pham. The 26-year-old is enjoying an impressive start to the campaign and is showing off both his raw power and elite speed. Last season, Cruz hit 21 home runs and swiped 22 bags, but could exceed those numbers given his impressive start. He will look to stay hot on Saturday, facing Miami right-hander
Valente Bellozo.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoTexas Rangers catcher
Jonah Heim went 2-for-3 with two home runs during their victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday evening. Heim would launch his first home run of the evening in the third inning against Boston right-hander
Tanner Houck. Later in the fifth, Heim would take Houck deep for a second time. The 29-year-old was riding pine in the season opener on Thursday in favor of
Kyle Higashioka but made a significant impact in his first outing of the season. Last summer, Heim took a step back after his 2023 All-Star season. In 2024, Heim held an underwhelming .220/.267/.336 slash line with 13 home runs and one stolen base. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his production as he could eventually carve out a larger share of starts. For now, both backstops will likely share time, hindering their fantasy values.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers shortstop/outfielder
Mookie Betts went 3-for-4 with two home runs, including a walk-off three-run shot, during their victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday evening. Betts would tally his first hit of the evening with a single in the sixth inning. Later in the eighth, Betts would launch his first long ball of the contest, this time a solo shot off right-hander
Jack Flaherty. In extra innings, Betts would conclude his impressive evening with a walk-off three-run blast that scored
Will Smith and
Shohei Ohtani. During the final weeks of camp, Betts was dealing with an illness and was unable to play during their opening series in Tokyo. However, he was able to turn the corner in time for Thursday and looked quite healthy on Friday evening. Fantasy managers should continue to view Betts as a high-end option in all formats and a top play in DFS.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks third baseman
Eugenio Suarez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI during their victory over the Chicago Cubs. Suarez launched his first long ball, which was a two-run shot off Chicago right-hander
Jameson Taillon. This long ball scored
Pavin Smith. Later in the fourth, Suarez would launch his second two-run shot off Taillon, once again scoring Smith. Suarez went deep on Opening Day and has now launched three long balls over his first two contests. During this impressive start, he has tallied five total RBI and only struck out once. After a slow start in the first half last summer when he posted a mere .216/.302/.366, Suarez appears to be picking up where he left off as he held a stellar .307/.341/.602 line after the All-Star break. The 33-year-old remains a must-start third baseman in all formats. He will look to extend his home run streak to three games on Saturday against
Shota Imanaga.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6
days
agoDetroit
Tigers
second
baseman
Gleyber
Torres
(side)
hit
a
solo
home
run
in
the
third
inning
of
Friday's
game
against
the
Los
Angeles
Dodgers
at
Dodger
Stadium,
but
he
was
then
pulled
in
the
sixth
inning
due
to
a
side
injury.
Torres
was
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