1 day agoBaltimore Orioles outfielder
Cedric Mullins went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, and a pair of stolen bases in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Yankees, preventing New York from being crowned division champs for a little while longer. Mullins had a dismal first half, slashing .214/.256/.373 with 16 steals and a wRC+ of 77 through the season's first 85 games, but has slashed .258/.370/.460 with 16 steals and a 142 wRC+ in the 54 games since. The 29-year-old owns a .230-18-54-66-32 line on the season and fantasy managers hoping for a championship will hope he stays hot for a couple more games.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoCleveland Guardians third baseman
Jose Ramirez fell a single shy of the cycle in a 3-for-4 night at the plate, collecting a double, a triple, and a home run in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Reds. The home run was his 38th of the season, while the switch-hitter collected three RBI and scored twice in the contest as well. The 6x All-Star has been one of the top fantasy performers this season due to his strong output in every offensive category, accumulating a .279-38-115-113-40 line. The 32-year-old shows no signs of showing down and will surely be responsible for sending many fantasy managers home with a championship this year.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher
George Kirby kept his team's playoff hopes alive with six strong innings in Wednesday's 8-1 victory over the Astros, allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out six on the way to recording his 14th win of the season. It was the 26-year-old's third straight quality start and 20th of the year out of 33 starts. The righty finishes the season 14-11 with a 3.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 20.1% K-BB% thanks in part to an elite-level 3.0% walk rate. The 26-year-old has now posted three consecutive seasons of sub-4.00 ERA (and sub-4.00 SIERA) to start his career along with excellent command, proving he's one of the brightest young arms in the game and managers should expect similar results in 2025.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoArizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Zac Gallen tossed six innings of one-run ball in Wednesday's 8-2 victory over the Giants, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out a season-high 11 batters on the way to earning his 14th win of the season. The 29-year-old has had another solid, albeit somewhat inconsistent, season for the D-backs, as he allowed one run or less in 13 of 28 starts but four runs or more on seven occasions. Nevertheless, the righty finishes the regular season on a high note and leaves his team one game up on the Braves for the final Wild Card spot with three games to go against the Padres. The former All-Star closes the 2024 regular season at 14-6 with a 3.65 ERA (3.86 SIERA), 1.26 WHIP, and a 16.4% K-BB%.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoChicago White Sox outfielder
Andrew Benintendi went 2-for-5 in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-innings win over the Angels, with one of the hits coming in the bottom of the 10th inning as a walk-off RBI single. The win was their second straight and staved off history for the time being, preventing the Sox from becoming the team with the most losses in a single season in baseball history. They have another winnable matchup on Thursday with the Angels, but will face a hot Tigers team for the final three games of the season. Benintendi's futility at the plate before the All-Star break was just one reason the Sox underperformed this season, with the former first-rounder slashing .201/.258/.311 through July 14, but turned it around after the break, slashing a respectable .263/.330/.493 over the last 58 games.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoSt. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher
Erick Fedde capped off his comeback season in dominant fashion in Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the Rockies, scattering six hits and one walk across seven innings while striking out 10 batters on the way to earning his ninth win of the 2024 campaign. With the Cardinals eliminated from playoff contention, Fedde finishes the season with a 9-9 record between Chicago and St. Louis, posting career-bests in ERA (3.38; 4.29 SIERA), WHIP (1.17), opponent batting average (.229), and total strikeouts (144). Fedde spent 2023 in the KBO with positive results, parlaying that success into a strong 2024 MLB season. The 31-year-old will look to keep rolling next season and should begin the year with a much more formidable offense behind him than he did when he began 2024 with the White Sox.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers shortstop
Miguel Rojas (groin) was pulled from Wednesday's big divisional tilt at Dodger Stadium against the visiting San Diego Padres due to left-groin tightness. Rojas injured his groin and was seen wincing after rounding third base in the fourth inning and then returning quickly to the pack to avoid being thrown out. Before leaving, the 35-year-old veteran defensive whiz went 0-for-1 with a walk. He was replaced at the 6 by
Tommy Edman, with
Andy Pages entering the game to play center field. Heading into Thursday's series finale against the Friars, Rojas should be considered day-to-day. The Dodgers will take it easy on Rojas through the rest of the week with a playoff spot already locked up, so don't expect to see him in Thursday's lineup. Rojas brings tremendous value with his glove and is also hitting .283 on the year, but he brings limited power and speed on offense.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Los Angeles Dodgers
2 days agoSeattle Mariners outfielder
Julio Rodriguez went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Astros, keeping the team's playoff hopes alive. The home run was Rodriguez's 20th of the season, earning him his third consecutive 20/20 season to start his career. Despite a slow start to the season, the 23-year-old has rewarded managers who persevered and made the fantasy playoffs with him, collecting a hit now in seven straight games while hitting .336 with seven home runs in September (23 games). Rodriguez and the Mariners will face a familiar opponent this weekend in the A's but will face lefty
JP Sears specifically on Friday who the 2x All-Star is just 3-for-19 off of lifetime, including five strikeouts and no extra-base hits.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoKansas City Royals starting pitcher
Michael Lorenzen left Wednesday's start versus the Nationals early for what the team is describing as lower body fatigue. The move was precautionary in nature according to the team. The 32-year-old had just been activated off the IL after missing a month with a hamstring strain, so perhaps he's not quite back to full strength. Nevertheless, it will be his last start of the season, finishing with a 7-6 record between his time in Texas and Kansas City, posting a 3.37 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 94 strikeouts in 128 1/3 IP.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Kansas City Royals
2 days agoCincinnati Reds second baseman
Jonathan India cleared concussion protocol after being hit in the head with a pitch in Tuesday's game against the Guardians. Although India did not start Wednesday's game versus Cleveland, the 27-year-old did come on as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and later stayed in the game to play second base. The Reds are idle Thursday so look for the former N.L. Rookie of the Year to be back in the lineup for Friday's road game to take on the Cubs. It looked like India had finally found his stroke in June, slashing .380/.454/.587 during the month, but has limped to a .214/.327/.377 line since the beginning of July and owns a .246-15-58-83-13 stat line for the season.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Charlie Goldsmith - Enquirer
2 days agoNew York Mets manager
Carlos Mendoza stated that the team will likely start LHP
Sean Manaea in Friday's road contest against the Brewers, which is their next game after Wednesday's and Thursday's games in Atlanta were postponed due to inclement weather. The move allows Manaea to pitch as soon as possible in the Wild Card round if the Mets are to make it there. The 32-year-old is the Mets' best pitcher right now and is having arguably the best season of his career, as the southpaw has posted a 12-5 record with a 3.29 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 17.0% K-BB%.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Tim Healey - Newsday Sports
2 days agoLos Angeles Angels third baseman
Anthony Rendon has been on the 10-day IL since September 10 with an oblique strain, and although it has not been made official, manager Ron Washington seemed to indicate that the former All-Star would likely not play again this season. With the Angels long out of contention and with just a handful of games to go in the season, it wouldn't make sense to roll the veteran out there in what has turned out to be yet another season marred by injury. The 34-year-old played in just 57 games in 2024, the fourth consecutive season in which he did not surpass even 60 games played. Rendon finishes with a .218-0-14-21-6 line in 238 plate appearances.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Andrew Seligman - AP News
2 days agoLos Angeles Angels first baseman
Nolan Schanuel fouled a ball off of his right shin during the first inning of Wednesday's road contest versus the White Sox. The 22-year-old would later strike out in the at-bat but would be done for the night after that.
Brandon Drury entered the game for Schanuel and for now, he is being considered day-to-day with what is being called a lower leg contusion. Schanuel had been hitting well in September, with a hitless game on Tuesday ending a 13-game hit streak. If this is the former first-round draft pick's final game of 2024, he finishes with a .251-13-54-62-10 line in 606 plate appearances.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Fletcher
2 days agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Jordyn Adams (knee) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox. Adams will now miss his fifth game in a row due to lingering right knee soreness. At this point it wouldn't be shocking to see the Angels shut down Adams for the rest of the season.
Gustavo Campero will cover right field and bat eighth against right-hander
Davis Martin. Campero has been decent through his first eight big league games but doesn't have a strong enough track record to warrant streaming on Wednesday.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
2 days agoPittsburgh Pirates catcher
Joey Bart is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-handed slugger will get a breather after starting in each of the last two games. In his absence,
Yasmani Grandal will do the catching and bat seventh versus right-hander
Freddy Peralta. Grandal is underachieving with the bat this season and isn't a viable fantasy option for Wednesday's slate. The expectation is Bart will be back in the lineup following Wednesday's game.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
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