2 weeks agoPittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Oneil Cruz (ankle) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This comes as little surprise after Cruz was forced to exit early during Sunday's game due to an ankle issue. It's the same ankle that Cruz fractured last season, so the Pirates aren't taking any chances. For now, Cruz is considered as day-to-day, so hopefully he'll be back in the lineup later this week. In the meantime,
Billy Cook will cover center field and bat ninth versus right-hander
Andre Pallante. Cook has been quiet with the bat during his brief time in the MLB and can be avoided as a streaming option.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
2 weeks agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher
Willson Contreras (finger) will need two more weeks of rest before beginning baseball activities. That being said, the right-handed slugger won't be returning to the Cards lineup before the end of the regular season. It has been an injury riddled year for Contreras who only managed to play in 84 games. Luckily, the veteran catcher should be healed up and ready to go in time for spring training. Contreras finishes the season with a .263 batting average with 15 home runs and 36 RBI. The assumption is that
Pedro Pages and
Ivan Herrera will split up the catching duties for the rest of the season. Herrera is the better fantasy option between the two with a .280 batting average and 22 RBI in 65 games this season.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Derrick Goold
2 weeks agoMinnesota Twins infielder
Jose Miranda is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. The right-handed slugger is having a breakout season with .292 batting average with nine home runs and 49 RBI across 117 games. However, Miranda has struggled to the tune of a .229 average against left-handed pitching. In his absence,
Ryan Jeffers will serve as the designated hitter while
Royce Lewis covers third base against left-handed
Matthew Boyd. Fantasy managers who have Miranda rostered should adjust their lineups ahead of first pitch.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
2 weeks agoDetroit Tigers starting pitcher
Reese Olson (shoulder) will make his return to the mound against the Kansas City Royals on Monday. The right-hander has been sidelined the last eight weeks while recovering from a shoulder strain. Olson won't get an easy task for his first game back with a matchup against a tough Royals team. However, Olson has held his own with a 3.23 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 92 strikeouts across 18 starts this season. It's uncertain if he'll be a full-go for his first game back, but he'll be worth starting in season long formats on Monday.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
2 weeks agoNew York Mets outfielder
Starling Marte (forearm) is out of the team's starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the division-rival Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Marte is sitting for the second straight game after being hit by a pitch on his forearm in Saturday's contest against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. The 35-year-old veteran's injury isn't considered serious, though, so fantasy managers should treat him as day-to-day. The Mets could use both Marte and shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) back in their lineup as soon as possible, though, as they battle for the final wild-card spot in the National League.
Jesse Winker is playing right field and batting second on Monday against Nationals right-hander
Jake Irvin. Winker has never faced Irvin in his career and has gone just 3-for-29 (.103) with a homer, four RBI, four walks and nine strikeouts in 13 games so far in September.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
2
weeks
agoWashington
Nationals
shortstop
CJ
Abrams
(shoulder)
is
out
of
the
starting
lineup
on
Monday
for
the
fourth
straight
contest
against
the
division-rival
New
York
Mets
at
Citi
Field.
With
Abrams
out
again,
rookie
Nasim
Nunez
is
making
another
start
at
read more...
2 weeks agoThe Chicago White Sox reinstated third baseman
Yoan Moncada (groin) from the 60-day injured list on Monday and optioned outfielder
Corey Julks to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move. Moncada will finally rejoin the big-league roster after suffering a groin strain back in early April. The 29-year-old Cuban should serve as the team's regular third baseman to close out the year, but fantasy managers obviously shouldn't be relying on him if they are still playing for a championship. Moncada only played in 11 games for the Pale Hose this year before landing on the shelf with his groin strain, and in those 11 contests, he went 11-for-39 (.282) with three doubles, a triple, one steal, five walks and 10 strikeouts. He hit .342 with a home run in 12 minor-league rehab games for Charlotte. Don't expect many counting stats from Moncada the rest of the way.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago White Sox
2 weeks agoThe Minnesota Twins claimed left-hander
Cole Irvin off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Irvin hasn't started since Aug. 27 but was built up as a starting pitcher at that point. He has gone 6-5 on the year with a 4.86 ERA (4.65 FIP), a 1.41 WHIP and a 76:25 K:BB in 107 1/3 innings over 25 appearances (16 starts) this year in Baltimore. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Twins designated pitcher
Randy Dobnak for assignment. Irvin won't join the 28-man active roster until Tuesday. The 30-year-old veteran southpaw will not be eligible to pitch in the postseason, but he will give the Twins some extra starting depth for these last couple weeks of the regular season. It remains to be seen what role he'll operate in for the Twins, but it will most likely be in a long-relief role out of the bullpen. Fantasy managers can continue to ignore Irvin for now.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
2 weeks agoThe Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up infield prospect
Nick Yorke from Triple-A Indianapolis to the big leagues on Monday, according to sources. Yorke is with the team in St. Louis for their series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium to begin the week. The 22-year-old was acquired by the Bucs from the Boston Red Sox at the end of July in the trade that sent pitcher
Quinn Priester to Boston. Per MLB Pipeline, he's considered Pittsburgh's No. 6 prospect. The former first-rounder has hit a combined .303/.385/.449 with an .834 OPS, 12 homers, 72 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 123 games with Double-A Portland, Triple-A Worcester and Indianapolis this year to earn his first big-league call-up. With experience at second base, third, shortstop and the outfield, Yorke should play regularly down the stretch in Pittsburgh.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh PG - Noah Hiles
2
weeks
agoAtlanta
Braves
second
baseman
Ozzie
Albies
(wrist)
could
begin
a
minor-league
rehab
assignment
on
Tuesday
and
rejoin
the
big-league
roster
this
weekend.
Once
Albies
returns,
it
would
make
sense
to
move
utility
man
Whit
Merrifield
to
left
field.
Moving
him
read more...
2
weeks
agoNew
York
Mets
shortstop
Francisco
Lindor
(back)
is
out
of
the
team's
starting
lineup
again
on
Monday
against
the
division-rival
Washington
Nationals
at
Citi
Field.
Veteran
Jose
Iglesias
will
start
at
shortstop
and
bat
leadoff
against
Nationals
right-hander
read more...
2 weeks agoCleveland Guardians outfielder
Steven Kwan (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Monday's series finale against the division-rival Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Rookie
Angel Martinez will make another start in left field and will bat leadoff against Twins right-hander
Pablo Lopez. Kwan was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays and missed the entire weekend series with what was originally called general body fatigue. It later surfaced that Kwan is dealing with back soreness, although it's not expected to be serious enough to land him on the injured list. After tests came back negative, Kwan was deemed day-to-day. Fantasy managers will need to keep him out of their lineups and check back to see if he's feeling good enough to play on Tuesday. In his first 33 big-league games this year, Martinez is hitting .241 (28-for-116) with three homers, nine RBI and three steals.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2
weeks
agoLos
Angeles
Dodgers
third
baseman
Max
Muncy
went
2-for-5
with
a
home
run,
two
runs
scored
and
a
strikeout
in
the
team's
9-2
win
over
the
Atlanta
Braves
on
Sunday
at
Truist
Park.
Muncy's
15th
home
run
of
the
season
was
a
solo
read more...
2 weeks agoThe Tampa Bay Rays reinstated left-hander
Colin Poche (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list on Monday and optioned right-hander
Cole Sulser to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Inflammation in Poche's left shoulder has kept him out in September to this point, but he will skip a minor-league rehab assignment and return to Tampa's big-league bullpen to close out the 2024 season. The 30-year-old southpaw will return to a 1-2 record, 3.67 ERA (5.15 FIP), a 1.14 WHIP, two saves, 31 strikeouts and 13 walks in his 34 1/3 relief innings in 2024 over 39 appearances. The Rays are currently rolling with a closer-by-committee approach involving
Edwin Uceta,
Manuel Rodriguez and
Richard Lovelady late in the year, and Poche could enter that mix now that he's healthy. Fantasy managers desperate for saves this late in the game could take a flier on Poche in deep leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
2 weeks agoCleveland Guardians right-hander
Carlos Carrasco (hip) threw three innings in a minor-league rehab start for Double-A Akron on Friday and allowed two runs on three hits while striking out three. Carrasco threw 41 pitches (27 for strikes) and felt OK afterwards. In 21 starts for Cleveland in 2024, he has gone 3-10 with a 5.64 ERA. "He's building back up. We want to make sure his hip is feeling better and everything is healed up," manager
Stephen Vogt said on Sept. 3. "We want to get Cookie healed back up to be an option for us to start." The 37-year-old veteran went on the 15-day injured list back on Aug. 9 with a strained left hip and is slowing working his way back towards a late-season activation. However, with Carrasco struggling this year and with rookie
Joey Cantillo holding his own as the No. 5 starter, it seems more likely that Carrasco will return to a bullpen role when he's fully healthy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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