15 hours agoMiami Marlins closer
Tanner Scott picked up his 10th save of the season in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Royals. Scott came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by one. He got the first out on a fly-out, allowed a single, and got the final two outs on a line-out and a ground-out. The 29-year-old has converted all but two save opportunities with a 1.59 ERA and a 9.26 K/9 rate in 34 innings of work. However, walks have returned as a big issue, as Scott has a 6.09 BB/9 rate. Additionally, he has not seen as many save opportunities as higher-end closers because of the Marlins' poor performance. His fantasy value may be limited, but he should continue to be a useful fantasy option in roto leagues.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
15 hours agoKansas City Royals starting pitcher
Seth Lugo turned in another excellent effort in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Marlins. Lugo pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. The 34-year-old emerged as a surprise fantasy starter last season and has been even better in 2024, going 10-2 with a 2.29 ERA, a 7.77 K/9 rate, and a 2.13 BB/9 rate in 17 starts and 110 IP. The veteran has been a fantasy steal and All-Star, considering he was drafted outside the top 250 picks on average coming into the season. He will face a tough test against the Guardians in his next start, but he has simply been too good to sit.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
15 hours agoHouston Astros starting pitcher
Hunter Brown continued his string of strong starts in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Rockies. Brown pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. The 25-year-old had a poor start to the season, but he has now turned in seven consecutive quality starts. His overall record sits at 5-5 with a 4.37 ERA, a 9.97 K/9 rate, and a 3.59 BB/9 rate in 15 starts and 80 1/3 IP. His recent performance is encouraging for fantasy managers, as are his 3.44 xERA and 3.64 SIERA. Brown should have a chance to further extend his streak in his next start, which will be at the slumping Blue Jays.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
17 hours agoAtlanta Braves starting pitching prospect
Cade Kuehler is being promoted to High-A Rome, according to MiLB Central. Kuehler joined the Atlanta organization as the 70th overall pick in last year's MLB Draft. Kuehler got a small seven-inning taste of Single-A ball last season and allowed just one hit with a 4:8 BB:K ratio. The Campbell University product remained with Single-A Augusta to open the 2024 campaign and held a strong 2.52 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 20:44 BB:K ratio through 50 innings. After posting a poor 4.82 ERA and 1.71 WHIP through May, the 22-year-old responded well in June where he held a stellar 0.90 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across four starts. Kuehler is ranked as the eighth-best prospect in a deep Atlanta pitching farm and is projected to reach the majors in 2026.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB Central
17 hours agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitching prospect
Trevor Martin is being promoted to Double-A Montgomery, according to MiLB Central. Martin was selected in the third round from Oklahoma State in the 2022 MLB Draft. He spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Single-A Charleston and posted a 3.52 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 41:131 BB:K ratio in 110 frames. He opened this season in High-A and once again averaged over a strikeout per inning with 88 in 72 frames. He held an improved 2.88 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. The 23-year-old has been exceptional through June with a 1.80 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, which resulted in his promotion. Martin is ranked as the 19th-best prospect in Tampa Bay on MLB.com and remains on track to meet his 2025 major league ETA.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB Central
17 hours agoMinnesota Twins starting pitching prospect
David Festa could be nearing his major league debut, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Recently, the Twins placed right-hander
Chris Paddack (forearm) on the 15-day injured list with right forearm fatigue, which opens a spot in the starting rotation. Festa has posted a 3.77 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 24:87 BB:K ratio through 59 ⅔ innings in his first extended look at Triple-A ball this season. The Seton Hall product has struck out ten batters on three occasions and eight batters twice, which shows his elite strikeout potential. The 24-year-old right-hander was already a candidate to reach the major leagues this season but could now be promoted much sooner than expected due to Paddack's injury. Festa is worth stashing in all standard leagues as he could provide high-upside strikeout production when he receives the call.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic
18 hours agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Shane McClanahan (elbow) has increased his throwing distance to 135 feet on flat ground. Manager Kevin Cash said on Monday that McClanahan is "doing well," but he is still unlikely to pitch for the Rays this season. The 27-year-old star left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery on Aug. 21 of last year, his second time having the procedure, though it's worth mentioning that the two-year deal he inked with Tampa Bay in January to avoid arbitration included escalators for his 2025 to account for the possibility of a late-season return in 2024 if his rehab permits it. In 115 innings in 2023, McClanahan went 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 121 strikeouts and 41 walks.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Steve Carney
18 hours agoSeattle Mariners infield prospect
Michael Arroyo is being promoted to High-A Everett. The 19-year-old has taken a significant step forward at Single-A Modesto this season. He held a modest .234/.389/.373 slash line with two home runs, 23 RBI, and five stolen bases in 57 games at Single-A last season but posted a much improved .279/.404/.500 line this season through a similar 60 games. He launched 11 home runs, tallied 49 RBI, and stole eight bases. The utility infielder has logged games at shortstop, the hot corner, and the keystone all throughout his minor league career but has begun to find a home at second base this season with a career-high 44 games played there. Arroyo is ranked as the ninth-best prospect in a deep Seattle system on MLB Pipeline and remains on track to reach the majors in 2027.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Mariners Player Development
18 hours agoHouston Astros starting pitcher
Luis Garcia (elbow) could start a game in the complex league this weekend, manager Joe Espada said before Tuesday's game against the visiting Colorado Rockies. That would be the beginning of a minor-league rehab assignment for Garcia, who's entering the closing stages of his recovery from last season's Tommy John surgery. He'll likely spend around 30 days on assignment before the Astros consider reinstating him from the 60-day injured list, but Garcia is a name to watch on fantasy waiver wires ahead of the mid-July All-Star break. In 27 innings last year, the 27-year-old Venezuelan right-hander registered a modest 4.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 31:10 K:BB in Houston's rotation.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Chandler Rome - The Athletic
18 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher
Gabriel Moreno (thumb) will catch
Zac Gallen's bullpen session on Thursday. Manager Torey Lovullo said before Tuesday's game against the visiting Minnesota Twins that he's optimistic Moreno will be able to return after missing the minimum 10 days on the injured list. Moreno sprained his left thumb on a foul tip in this past Friday's contest against the Philadelphia Phillies, but it sounds like he could return to the D-backs during the first week of July and skip a brief minor-league rehab assignment. Fantasy managers in shallow leagues should be able to find better stashes than the 24-year-old contact-hitting backstop, who's slashing an uninspiring .230/.313/.346 with three home runs, 11 doubles, 26 RBI, and 23 runs scored in 217 trips to the plate as Arizona's everyday catcher in 2024.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Theo Mackie - The Arizona Republic
18 hours agoTexas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said before Tuesday's game against the hosting Milwaukee Brewers that third baseman
Josh Jung (wrist) is heading back to Texas to get checked out and "make sure everything's fine." Bochy said it's possible that Jung rejoins the club on this road trip, which concludes with Sunday's series finale against the Baltimore Orioles, but he can't answer that until he gets checked out. Barring any setbacks in his evaluation, Jung is still a candidate to rejoin the major-league roster before the end of June.
Josh Smith has been a great streaming option for fantasy managers in the interim, slashing .302/.396/.474 with seven home runs, 17 doubles, 32 RBI, and four stolen bases across 232 at-bats for the Rangers this season, but he'll need to find playing time in other spots than the hot corner once Jung is back in the lineup.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Shawn McFarland - Dallas Morning News
18 hours agoSeattle Mariners outfield prospect
Lazaro Montes is being promoted to High-A Everett. Montes has been one of the best players in the minor leagues through the opening months of the 2024 campaign with a .309/.411/.527 slash line and 13 long balls, 72 RBI, one swiped bag, and a 43:59 BB:K ratio. Montes posted similar numbers in his first taste of Single-A ball last summer with a .321/.429/.565 line. The 19-year-old was very consistent at Single-A this season and never posted a monthly batting average below .250. He held several extended hitting streaks, including an eight-game streak from May 25 to June 2. Montes is a budding superstar who should remain rostered in all dynasty leagues but is still several seasons away from his major league debut.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Mariners Player Development
18 hours agoDetroit Tigers shortstop
Javier Baez (spine) is still rehabbing and doing baseball activity at the club's spring training facility in Tampa. Baez isn't expected to be with the Tigers on their upcoming three-city road trip, and manager AJ Hinch said on Tuesday that he's facing an "extensive" minor-league rehab assignment once he's cleared for competition. Baez is recovering from lumbar spine inflammation and is likely to remain sidelined through the mid-July All-Star break. Considering the 31-year-old former All-Star was slashing a pathetic .183/.209/.247 with one home run, 25 RBI, 15 runs scored, and six stolen bases through 186 at-bats as Detroit's primary shortstop this year, he can be left on waiver wires in the majority of fantasy leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Chris McCosky - The Detroit News
18 hours agoTuesday's game between the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium has been postponed due to inclement weather. There will be a split-doubleheader on Wednesday, with the first game beginning at 12:45 p.m. and the second at 6:15 p.m.
Reynaldo Lopez was slated to take the bump for the Braves and
Kyle Gibson for the Cardinals on Tuesday, and the two right-handers figure to get the ball in one of the two matchups on tap for Wednesday.
Chris Sale is set as Atlanta's scheduled starter for either the matinee or the nightcap on Wednesday, and
Andre Pallante is St. Louis' probable starter for one leg of the twin bill. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Justin Toscano - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
18 hours agoDetroit Tigers outfielder
Kerry Carpenter (spine) took swings off a batting tee on Monday and completed throwing/running drills on the field ahead of Tuesday's game against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Working his way back from a lumbar spine stress fracture, Carpenter has re-engaged himself in baseball activities and will accompany the team on their upcoming road trip to continue his workouts. Although he's unlikely to return to the Tigers before the mid-July All-Star break and will likely need minor-league rehab assignment before he's activated from the injured list, the 26-year-old righty-mashing right fielder was slashing .283/.342/.572 with eight home runs, 10 doubles, 29 RBI, and 21 runs scored in 163 plate appearances before going down and makes for a fine stash in all fantasy leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Evan Petzold - Detroit Free Press
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