3 days agoNew York Mets outfielder
Starling Marte will start on the bench for Friday's series opener versus the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
Jesse Winker will instead make the start in right field for the Mets and bat sixth against Brewers right-hander
Frankie Montas. Even after the Mets' last two games against the division-rival Atlanta Braves were rained out, Marte will take a seat to start a three-game weekend set in Milwaukee. Marte hasn't been great in 15 games in September, batting .229 (11-for-48) with no homers, a double, a triple, nine RBI and 10 strikeouts. Winker will be an interesting DFS play on Friday with a .286 career average and .786 OPS in seven total at-bats against Montas in his career. The 31-year-old left-handed slugger has 13 of his 14 homers on the year against righties while hitting .260 (88-for-339) against them in 401 plate appearances.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
3 days agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor (back) is back at shortstop and is hitting leadoff in Friday's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander
Frankie Montas at American Family Field. Lindor missed each of the team's previous eight games due to a nagging back injury that required an injection, but he was back in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the division-rival Atlanta Braves before the rest of that big series was rained out. It's great news for the Mets as they look to lock down one of the final wild-card spots in the National League before the playoffs begin next week. The 30-year-old has played at an MVP level in 2024, but he could struggle to recapture his pre-injury form, making him a risk in DFS lineups. In 11 career at-bats versus Montas, Lindor is hitting .364 with a 1.045 OPS. Before missing time with his back injury, Lindor was riding a modest four-game hitting streak.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
3 days agoColorado Rockies second baseman
Brendan Rodgers (hamstring) is back at second base and is batting sixth for the Rockies on Friday against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. It's unclear who exactly is starting for the Dodgers in the series opener after the won the National League West division title on Thursday night with a win over the division-rival San Diego Padres. Rodgers will return to action after missing the last three games with tightness in his left hamstring. The 28-year-old infielder has underwhelmed in his career with the Rockies but is having one of his better seasons in 2024, slashing .267/.313/.406 with 13 home runs, 54 RBI and 65 runs scored in 134 games played. Rodgers was hot in August but has gone cold in September, going 11-for-60 (.183) with four doubles, four RBI, five walks and 24 strikeouts in 17 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3
days
agoTampa
Bay
Rays
outfielder
Christopher
Morel
and
shortstop
Taylor
Walls
are
getting
the
day
off
on
Friday
for
the
series
opener
against
the
division-rival
Boston
Red
Sox
at
Fenway
Park.
Richieread more...
3 days agoHouston Astros shortstop
Jeremy Pena and outfielder
Jason Heyward will both start on the bench for Friday's series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians at Progressive Field.
Grae Kessinger is starting at the 6 and batting ninth, while
Mauricio Dubon is in left field and batting eighth against Guardians rookie left-hander
Joey Cantillo. Pena doesn't sit often, as this is his first day off since Aug. 22. Kessinger made his big-league debut last year and played in 26 games, hitting .200 (8-for-40) with a homer and an RBI. He's only played in 20 games in 2024 and has gone hitless in 17 plate appearances with one walk and five strikeouts. DFS gamers should ignore him on Friday. Dubon, a super-utility man for the Astros, has very little DFS sleeper appeal at the bottom of the order with just four home runs and 47 RBI in 394 at-bats in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 days agoToronto Blue Jays right-hander
Chris Bassitt will no longer take the hill for the regular-season finale this Sunday at Rogers Centre versus the visiting Miami Marlins, according to manager John Schneider. The Blue Jays are now listing Sunday as a "TBA" day. Toronto hasn't named a replacement for Bassitt or given a reason for why the 35-year-old veteran won't take the ball to close out the season. Bassitt won a league-high 16 games for Toronto in his first year with the club in 2023 but wasn't nearly as successful this year, going 10-14 with a 4.16 ERA (4.08 FIP), a 1.46 WHIP and a 168:70 K:BB in 171 innings over his 31 starts. His ERA was his highest since 2016, when he pitched for the Oakland Athletics, and he also led the league with 16 hit-by-pitches. It's possible that he's dealing with a minor injury and the Blue Jays didn't want to risk anything.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Keegan Matheson
3 days agoToronto Blue Jays rookie outfielder
Joey Loperfido is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener at the Rogers Centre against the visiting Miami Marlins. With Loperfido starting on the bench, fellow outfield prospect
Jonatan Clase is starting in center field and is batting eighth against Marlins right-hander
Adam Oller. Loperfido, 25, has appeared at both center field and left field for Toronto and has mostly struggled offensively since being acquired from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline in the deal that sent lefty
Yusei Kikuchi to Houston. Loperfido has gone 27-for-130 (.208) with two homers, eight RBI, two steals and 48 strikeouts in his 41 games in Toronto. Clase, who was also acquired via trade with the Mariners this year, will be playing in just his sixth game with the Jays. So far, he's gone 6-for-12 with a homer, double and two RBI in 14 plate appearances.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3
days
agoPittsburgh
Pirates
infielder/outfielder
Oneil
Cruz
and
third
baseman
Jared
Triolo
are
both
out
of
the
lineup
for
Friday's
series
finale
against
the
New
York
Yankees
in
the
Bronx.
Billy
Cook
will
get
the
read more...
3 days agoChicago White Sox outfielder
Luis Robert Jr. (rib cage) is dealing with some soreness in his rib-cage area and is out of the starting lineup on Friday against the division-rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The injury isn't considered serious, though, and he could return on Saturday for the second game of the series.
Dominic Fletcher will make the start in center field on Friday and will hit ninth for the Pale Hose against Tigers right-hander
Brenan Hanifee. Fletcher will be a deep DFS sleeper to avoid on Friday, as the 27-year-old outfielder has gone 44-for-212 (.208) on the year with just one home run and 16 RBI. After making his first All-Star appearance in 2023, Robert has hit a career-low .227 (88-for-388) this year. He has managed a career-high 22 stolen bases while also contributing 14 home runs and just 36 RBI for a terrible White Sox team.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen
3 days agoNew York Yankees infielder
DJ LeMahieu (hip) is encouraged about how his hip is feeling and expects to start doing baseball activities over the next few days to try and put himself in a position to be ready for the American League Division Series. The Yankees won the American League East division on Thursday evening and will now have a bye for the wild-card round of the postseason, giving LeMahieu some extra time to heal. "I don't know if they'll use me or not, but I'm definitely gonna try to be available," LeMahieu said. The 36-year-old veteran infielder hasn't played since early September due to a right-hip impingement and could be left off the playoff roster even if he's ready to go by the start of the ALDS. LeMahieu has battled injuries during a frustrating 2024 season and has hit just .204 (41-for-201) with two homers and 26 RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NJ Advance Media - Max Goodman
3 days agoNew York Yankees first baseman
Anthony Rizzo and catcher
Austin Wells will get the day off for Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium a day after the team clinched the American League East division title.
Oswaldo Cabrera will start at first base and bat ninth, while
Jose Trevino will do the catching and hit eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander
Jared Jones. The Yankees are giving a lot of their regulars a day off after they celebrated their division title on Thursday evening with a win over the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. Since returning from a fractured forearm on Sept. 1, Rizzo has gone 17-for-71 (.239) with no home runs, five doubles, seven RBI, eight walks and 17 strikeouts in 21 games played. The Yankees will be hoping he can find some of his power stroke from the left side of the plate with the playoffs starting next week.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Yankees
3 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Aaron Judge will head to the bench on Friday in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium a day after the team clinched the American League West title with a decisive win over the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. In that contest, Judge hit a home run for the fifth straight game.
Trent Grisham will start in center field on Friday and will bat seventh against Pirates rookie right-hander
Jared Jones. Judge is having another fantastic season in 2024 and currently leads the AL in home runs (58), RBI (144), walks (133), on-base percentage (.461), slugging percentage (.708), OPS (1.169), OPS+ (226) and total bases (392) in 157 games played. His .325 batting average (180-for-554) is third in the AL, so he still has a shot to win the AL Triple Crown with only three games remaining in the 2024 season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Yankees
3 days agoThe Minnesota Twins optioned right-hander
Simeon Woods Richardson to Triple-A St. Paul and recalled catcher
Jair Camargo from St. Paul on Thursday. With Woods Richardson not set to pitch again during the regular season in 2024, the Twins elected to send him down to give them extra catching depth to close out the weekend series versus the Baltimore Orioles. The 24-year-old went out on a sour note in his first year in the big leagues by allowing three earned runs on six hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out two in just one inning in his final start on Wednesday against the Marlins. In his third year with the Twins in 2024, Woods Richardson ended up going 5-5 with a 4.17 ERA (4.12 FIP), a 1.29 WHIP and a 117:48 K:BB in 133 2/3 innings over 28 starts in his first full season in the big leagues. He came into 2024 with only 9 2/3 innings pitched in the big leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said that the team isn't overly concerned about first baseman
Freddie Freeman's (ankle) injury that he suffered in the win over the division-rival San Diego Padres on Thursday night that clinched the National League West title. However, Freeman won't play in the final regular-season series in Colorado against the Rockies this weekend, but Friedman said he likely could have if the Dodgers hadn't already clinched the division. Freeman was on crutches and wearing a walking boot in the Dodgers' clubhouse on Thursday night during their celebration. The 35-year-old injured his ankle while trying to apply a tag at first base on a pickoff attempt. With the Dodgers having a first-round bye in the postseason, Freeman should be ready to roll when the Division Series starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Los Angeles Time - Jack Harris
3 days agoCincinnati Reds infielder
Noelvi Marte will start on the bench for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Santiago Espinal will start at the hot corner and will bat eighth against Cubs right-hander
Jameson Taillon. In 13 career at-bats against Taillon, Espinal has hit .231 with a .462 OPS. Marte has been a regular for the Reds at either third base or designated hitter down the stretch and has hit .240 (12-for-50) with two doubles, four RBI, four walks, 18 strikeouts and three stolen bases in 15 games in the month of September. Overall, 2024 has been a disappointment for the 22-year-old Dominican after opening the year serving a suspension. He's managed to hit just .212/.251/.306 with four long balls, 18 RBI and nine stolen bases in 222 at-bats. Espinal will be a low-upside DFS sleeper at the bottom of Cincy's batting order.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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