1 day agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) will go through a full series of baseball activities on Saturday and is targeting a potential return on Tuesday when the Mets travel to Atlanta. This is an excellent sign for the MVP candidate, who has been sidelined throughout the week due to back pain. As a result, prospect
Luisangel Acuna has filled in at shortstop and has held his own by hitting two home runs with a .375 AVG this past week. Lindor has enjoyed a stellar summer as he sits with a strong .271/.342/.494 slash line, 31 home runs, and 27 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Mets starting nine on Tuesday, as Lindor could return in the first game of a three-game set with significant playoff implications.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
1 day agoChicago Cubs third baseman
Isaac Paredes (wrist) was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to a left wrist contusion, according to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. The 25-year-old was scheduled to return to the Cubs lineup after sitting out on Friday afternoon but will need at least another day to rest. As a result,
Luis Vazquez will cover the hot corner and bat in the nine-hole. Since joining the Northside at the trade deadline, Paredes has held an underwhelming .212/.317/.301 line with just three home runs and five doubles across a 45-game stint. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Paredes' status before Sunday's game. If the former Tampa Bay Ray remains sidelined, Vazquez and
Patrick Wisdom should see an uptick in opportunities. Vazquez will face Washington southpaw
MacKenzie Gore this afternoon and should be faded in all DFS formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Tim Stebbins
1 day agoBoston Red Sox relief pitcher
Kenley Jansen (shoulder) logged a clean frame on Friday evening in his return to the bump. The 36-year-old was battling a minor shoulder injury and has only pitched twice this week. However, seeing him return to his typical ninth-inning role on Friday is a promising sign that he is past this injury. Fantasy managers should expect the former Dodger to be called upon as a high-leverage option out of the Red Sox during the final week of the season. Through 53 2/3 innings this summer, the right-hander has held a 3.35 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with a 20:61 BB:K ratio. He has tallied 27 saves. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable relying on the veteran to see save opportunities during the final week of the 2024 season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 day agoWashington Nationals shortstop
CJ Abrams was demoted to Triple-A Rochester earlier on Saturday due to off-field actions. Jim Bowden of CBS Sports reported that Abrams was seen at Bally Casino past 8 am before a 1 pm game, according to multiple eyewitnesses. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring this situation over the season's final week and during the offseason, as the team did not approve of his behavior. Since the start of September, the infielder has held a .271/.308/.458 line with two home runs and four stolen bases. Overall, in his second full season in the big leagues, the 23-year-old has emerged as both a power and speed threat as he hit 20 long balls and swiped 31 bags while holding a .246 AVG. The former first-round pick will likely be one of the first shortstops taken in drafts next season due to his ability to contribute to all five standard categories.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jim Bowden
2 days agoWashington Nationals outfielder
Jacob Young (shoulder) remains sidelined on Saturday as the Nationals continue a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs. The 25-year-old was held out of the starting nine on Friday afternoon due to a shoulder injury. Fantasy managers should consider the young outfielder day-to-day for the time being. Young has showcased his speed throughout his sophomore campaign this summer, stealing 32 bags. As a result, top prospect
Dylan Crews will shift over to center field on Saturday and bat in the leadoff spot. Crews has held a mere .225/.244/.250 line across his past ten games but has a great opportunity against Chicago right-hander
Kyle Hendricks to get back on track as Hendricks carries a high 6.25 ERA.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoWashington Nationals second baseman
Luis Garcia Jr. (wrist) is back in the starting nine on Saturday afternoon as the Nationals continue a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs. The infielder has been sidelined for the past two games due to a wrist injury. He will return on Saturday but will serve as the designated hitter and bat in the three-hole. Fantasy managers should expect the 24-year-old to return to the infield very soon. Before the minor injury, Garcia was in the midst of a slump through September, holding a .175/.233/.300 line with just three extra-base hits. Throughout the summer, Garcia has posted a strong .280 AVG with 16 home runs and 21 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should feel confident starting him this afternoon as he will face Cubs right-hander
Kyle Hendricks who carries a hefty 6.25 ERA.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) remains out of the starting nine on Saturday as the Mets continue a series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The start infielder has now been sidelined for six consecutive starts due to a back injury. The Mets will likely be cautious with their MVP candidate ahead of the playoffs. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Lindor's status as he could return to the lineup sometime next week. As a result, prospect
Luisangel Acuna will get his fifth straight start at shortstop and bat in the nine-hole. The 22-year-old has been heating up at the plate, carrying a .375 AVG with two home runs and five RBI across his past four games. He is worth a look in DFS this afternoon as he will face Philadelphia southpaw
Ranger Suarez, who has surrendered seven earned runs across his past two starts.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
2
days
agoPittsburgh
Pirates
outfielder/designated
hitter
Andrew
McCutchen
will
get
a
day
of
rest
on
Saturday
at
Great
American
Ball
Park
against
the
division-rival
Cincinnati
Reds.
With
McCutchen
on
the
bench
to
start,
Oneil
Cruz
will
serve
as
read more...
2
days
agoPittsburgh
Pirates
first
baseman
Rowdy
Tellez,
catcher
Joey
Bart
and
infielder
Jared
Triolo
are
all
on
the
bench
for
the
start
of
Saturday's
contest
against
the
division-rival
Cincinnati
Reds
at
Great
American
Ball
read more...
2 days agoTampa Bay Rays infielder
Jose Caballero and outfielder
Jonny DeLuca are both out of the starting lineup on Saturday at Tropicana Field against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays.
Taylor Walls will make the start at the 6 for Tampa and will hit ninth, while
Jose Siri starts in center field and bats seventh against Blue Jays rookie right-hander
Yariel Rodriguez. Caballero does lead the league with 44 stolen bases (and also 14 times caught stealing), but he has only nine home runs and 44 RBI on the year in 133 games in his first year in Tampa and has struggled at the plate of late. The 28-year-old Panama native has gone 11-for-49 (.225) in 18 games in September with no homers, two doubles, three RBI, seven steals and 17 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. Walls and Siri have four combined at-bats against Rodriguez this year and have gone hitless.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoMiami Marlins middle infielder
Xavier Edwards and outfielder
Kyle Stowers are out of the starting lineup on Saturday at LoanDepot Park against the division-rival Atlanta Braves with a left-hander on the mound.
Javier Sanoja is starting at shortstop and is batting sixth, while
Derek Hill will make the start in left field and bat cleanup for the Fish versus Braves left-hander
Max Fried. Edwards will retreat to the bench after starting each of the team's last seven games. The 25-year-od switch-hitter has been one of the bright spots in Miami in 2024, hitting .318/.385/.386 with a .771 OPS and 30 stolen bases in just 233 at-bats. Stowers, on the other hand, has really struggled since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Orioles, as he's hit .203/.269/.322 with a .591 OPS, two homers, 15 RBI and 54 strikeouts in his 45 games in Miami.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoThe Baltimore Orioles will option rookie infielder
Coby Mayo to Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday, according to a source, which likely means that veteran infielder
Ramon Urias (ankle) is coming off the 10-day injured list.
Jordan Westburg (hand), who is recovering from a fractured hand, is likely not far behind Urias. With both Urias and Westburg out of late, the O's had been using a combination of Mayo and
Emmanuel Rivera at the hot corner. Mayo, the team's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, went 3-for-24 with 12 strikeouts in 10 games since being brought up from Norfolk at the beginning of September. The 22-year-old still has a bright future in the big leagues, but he clearly isn't ready for big-league pitching and could use some more seasoning on the farm. Expect the O's to use a combination of Urias and Westburg at third the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Roch Kubatko
2 days agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) received a facet shot for his lingering back issue on Thursday and showed signs of progressing on Friday. A facet shot is an injection of a mixture of anesthetic and steroids into the facet joints of the spine to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. "It was always trending in the right direction but it didn't feel like I could get back sooner rather than later. And with the injection, they said there was a possibility that that could happen," Lindor said. He played catch, ran and took batting practice on Friday and said he was "feeling good." However, Lindor couldn't put a percentage of improvement on the results yet, and it remains to be seen if he'll play this weekend against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. Lindor missed his fifth straight game and continues to be replaced by infield prospect
Luisangel Acuna, who has looked good since his call-up from the minors.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Bridget Reilly
2 days agoCincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder
Spencer Steer is not in the team's starting lineup for Saturday's contest at Great American Ball Park against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates. With Steer taking the day off, the left-handed-hitting
Will Benson will get the start in left field for the Reds and will bat ninth against Pirates rookie right-hander
Jared Jones. Steer has really struggled in the month of September, batting .191 (12-for-63) with a homer, four doubles, two triples and 14 strikeouts in 18 games, so the Reds have elected to give him a day to clear his head. The 26-year-old right-handed slugger has hit just .230 (127-for-552) in 152 games this year, but he has recorded a 20-20 campaign for the first time in his career in just his third season with the Reds after falling five steals short in 2023. Benson has never faced Jones in his career and is a low-upside DFS sleeper who is hitting .189 (63-for-333) on the year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Cincinnati Reds
2 days agoThe Washington Nationals are optioning shortstop
CJ Abrams to the minor leagues on Saturday, according to sources. Abrams had a breakout first half and was named to the National League All-Star squad, but he has struggled in the second half. Since the All-Star break, the former first-rounder has hit just .203 (38-for-187) with five home runs, eight RBI, 17 RBI, 10 walks, 48 strikeouts and 16 stolen bases in 49 games played to drop his season line to .246/.314/.433. The 23-year-old has still produced his first 20-20 season in his second full season in D.C. with 20 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 138 games after hitting 18 dingers and stealing a career-high 47 bags in 2023. It's an odd move, to say the least, especially with the minor-league seasons concluding on Sunday. Abrams did have four hits on Thursday and has hit .271 (13-for-48) with two homers, three doubles, three RBI and four steals in September.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Britt Ghiroli
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