14 hours agoAthletics designated hitter
Brent Rooker went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during their loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday evening. Rooker went deep in the opening frame off Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher
Justin Steele. This two-run shot also scored outfielder
Lawrence Butler. Later in the contest, he would cross home plate a second time on a
Shea Langeliers home run. Rooker has turned the corner since going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Opening Day, going 7-for-22 with two home runs, five RBI, and four runs across his previous five contests. Last summer, the 30-year-old posted an impressive .293/.365/.562 slash line with 26 doubles and 39 home runs. His home run total was the fourth-most in the American League. He will look to stay hot on Wednesday, facing
Jameson Taillon.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
14 hours agoAthletics catcher
Shea Langeliers went 2-for-4 with a two-run blast during their loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday evening. Langeliers hit a single in his first at-bat off Chicago southpaw
Justin Steele. Then in the third inning, Langeliers would take Steele deep with a two-run blast, which scored
Brent Rooker. Since going 0-for-3 on Opening Day, Langeliers has posted a solid .267/.353/.667 slash line with two home runs, five RBI, and a 2:2 BB:K over his previous four games. Last summer, Langeliers enjoyed a career year as he went deep 29 times and held a .224/.288/.450 slash line. The 27-year-old generated a strong 12.8 percent barrel rate with a .456 xSLG. Even though he does not draw walks often, his elite power upside gives him significant value in all formats, especially at the catcher position. He will look to stay hot on Wednesday, facing Chicago right-hander
Jameson Taillon.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
14 hours agoDetroit Tigers starting pitcher
Casey Mize tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings en route to defeating the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday evening. Mize allowed just one hit and served up three free passes while striking out six. The lone hit was tallied by the first batter he saw,
Victor Robles. This was a strong season debut for Mize, who was not guaranteed a spot in the rotation during camp. He had to win the role over veteran
Kenta Maeda. In addition,
Alex Cobb (hip) also opened the season on the injured list, which provided Mize with an opportunity. Last season, Mize logged 102 1/3 innings of work and held a modest 4.49 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP. The former first overall pick tallied just 78 punchouts but showed strong command with a 6.4 percent walk rate. Despite the strong outing, Mize is best left on your bench in his next start when he faces the New York Yankees.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
14 hours agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder
Heliot Ramos went 1-for-4 with a solo blast during their 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday evening. Ramos went deep in the fourth inning off Houston starter
Hayden Wesneski. This was already his third long ball of the young campaign. Through his first five contests of the 2025 season, Ramos has tallied at least one hit in each game and has tallied five total extra-base hits, with three of them leaving the yard. He has added five RBI, scored six runs, and even swiped one bag. Last season, the 25-year-old appeared in a career-high 121 MLB contests and posted a strong .269/.322/.469 slash line with 23 doubles and 22 round-trippers. Given his strong start, fantasy managers should continue to start Ramos in all formats. He will face Houston ace
Framber Valdez on Wednesday.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
15 hours agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webb allowed just one run with five hits and no walks across seven innings en route to defeating the Houston Astros. He tallied six punchouts. His lone blemish came in the fourth inning when
Jose Altuve hit a solo shot. This was a strong bounce-back for Webb as he allowed six hits and three earned runs over five frames in his first start of the campaign against the Cincinnati Reds. Last season, the 28-year-old logged 204 1/4 innings and held a 3.47 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP. He tallied 173 punchouts but was able to generate ground balls at an elite 57.2 percent rate. Since 2022, Webb has been a true workhorse, logging at least 192 innings in each campaign. Webb is tentatively scheduled to get a rematch against the Reds, who gave him trouble on Opening Day in his next start.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
21 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks third baseman
Eugenio Suarez continued his power run in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Yankees. The 33-year-old went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and a strikeout. Suarez hit an eighth-inning
Mark Leiter Jr. off-speed pitch just over the left-field wall to put the Diamondbacks up for good. He has picked up right where he left off in 2024 and is now slashing .278/.381/1.111 with five home runs and 11 RBI in his first 21 plate appearances. While his current HR pace is not sustainable, Suarez has offered high-end power for most of his career. The issue at times has been very low batting averages, but he could continue to be a fantasy surprise if he bats close to the .256 he compiled last season or better.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
21 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher
A.J. Puk converted the team's first save opportunity of the season in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Yankees. Puk came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first two outs on strikeouts, allowed a solo home run, and got the final out on a line-out. The 29-year-old came into the season jockeying for save opportunities with
Justin Martinez, who struck out the side in the eighth inning of the game. Both players offer plenty of strikeout upside, although Martinez did spend some time last season as the team's closer and recently signed a five-year, $18 million extension. The Diamondbacks should see plenty of save opportunities this season, so until one player grasps the closer's role, both are worth rostering in at least all roto leagues at this time.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
21 hours agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Michael King had an excellent rebound start in Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Guardians. King pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts. He also hit a batter. The 29-year-old's performance was a relief for both the Padres and fantasy managers, as he lasted just 2 2/3 IP in his first start while allowing three runs and walking four. King emerged as a legitimate higher-end fantasy starter last season and has showcased high strikeout upside throughout his career. He has walked five batters in his first two starts, but that has never been an issue in his game. King will face the Athletics in Sacramento in his next start. He is worth starting in fantasy leagues, even though Sutter Health Park has done a poor job of keeping the ball in the park early on.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
21 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers outfielder
Christian Yelich had an overall productive game offensively in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Royals. Yelich went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two RBI, and a walk. He also stole his second base of the season. The 33-year-old clubbed an eighth-inning
John Schreiber cutter deep over the right-center wall for his first long ball of the season. It was an encouraging game for Yelich, who is slashing just .125/.300/.313 in his first 20 plate appearances of the season. Fantasy managers shouldn't be worried about Yelich's performance this early in the season, as health is his key issue. He has been a solid fantasy contributor when on the field throughout his career. Hopefully, this game can help get him going.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
22 hours agoMiami Marlins relief pitcher
Anthony Bender saw the team's first save opportunity of the season and converted it in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mets.
Anthony Veneziano started the top of the ninth inning with a two-run lead, and Bender came in to relieve him with one out and runners on first and second. The 30-year-old shut the door with a fly-out and a ground-out. Given that two of the Mets' first three hitters in the ninth were left-handed, that could explain why the lefty Veneziano started the inning. The Marlins did not come into the season with a declared closer, although Bender and
Calvin Faucher seemed to be the likeliest candidates. Bender has been a solid reliever throughout his career, but he owns just 11 career saves in four seasons. He may be worth a speculative fantasy look in deep roto leagues at this time.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
22
hours
agoWashington
Nationals
outfield prospect
Robert
Hassell
III
went
3-for-5
with
a
double,
an
RBI,
two
runs
scored,
and
a
stolen
base
on
Tuesday
for
Triple-A
Rochester.
That
makes
him
5-for-14
(.357)
over
his
first three
games
of
2025.
The
23-year-old
showed
well
in
spring
read more...
22 hours agoPittsburgh Pirates starting pitching prospect
Thomas Harrington had a less-than-ideal MLB debut in Tuesday's 7-0 loss to the Rays. Harrington pitched four innings, allowing six runs on seven hits (including a two-run home run) and four walks with two strikeouts. The 23-year-old is the No. 3 prospect in the Pirates' system and is the No. 78 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He was competing for a rotation spot this spring and compiled a strong 2.61 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 25.1% strikeout rate across three levels in the minors in 2024. It remains to be seen if Harrington earned another turn in the rotation, as the Pirates have
Carmen Mlodzinski on their roster and also have No. 14 overall prospect
Bubba Chandler waiting at Triple-A Indianapolis. Even if Harrington does make another start, fantasy managers may want to sit him until they see more promising results.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
22 hours agoBaltimore Orioles shortstop
Gunnar Henderson (side) had another encouraging performance with Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday in a 4-3 loss to the Charlotte Knights. Henderson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk, and two strikeouts. The 23-year-old has been sidelined with an intercostal strain since late February and started the season on the injured list. However, he is expected to return to the O's on Thursday when first eligible and looked good at the plate in his time with Triple-A, batting .313 with two HR in 16 at-bats. Henderson came into the season as a top fantasy pick, and fantasy managers should treat him as such as soon as he makes his way back to the big leagues. Given his rehab performances, they should feel comfortable slotting him right back into their lineups.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
22 hours agoBoston Red Sox infield prospect
Marcelo Mayer popped his first home run of 2025 for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. The 22-year-old went 2-for-4 in the contest with three RBI and a run scored, now 4-for-13 (.308) on the young season. The former first-round draft pick was excellent last year at Double-A in 77 games before a lumbar strain ended his season prematurely in late July, and had hit well this spring while in camp with the Red Sox. MLB's 11th-overall prospect will likely make his major league debut later this year, but it may take an injury to get him a call-up, as his main positions of shortstop and third base are currently spoken for at the big league level. With the offensive profile he brings, Fantasy managers in redraft leagues will want to keep an ear out for any rumblings of a promotion in order to stash the left-handed hitter ahead of time.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
22 hours agoMinnesota Twins pitching prospect
Zebby Matthews threw five shutout innings in his 2025 Triple-A debut, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out four batters on the way to earning the win for St. Paul. Matthews has shown impeccable command during his minor league tenure, owning a miniscule 2.7 percent walk rate over 205 1/3 IP. The righty shows strong strikeout potential as well, striking out batters at a 28.7 percent rate, and has recorded a 3.20 ERA (2.97 FIP) with a 0.95 WHIP. Unfortunately, his nine-game major league debut in 2024 didn't go so swimmingly, registering a 6.69 ERA (5.72 FIP), 1.65 WHIP, and an 18.1 percent K-BB% over 37 2/3 IP. Expect the 6-foot-5 hurler to be back in the big leagues again this season, and despite last year's numbers, he'd be a worthy roster addition for most teams in deeper leagues that are in need of pitching help.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
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