3 days agoKansas City Royals shortstop
Bobby Witt Jr. had a historic evening in Tuesday's 3-1 extra-inning loss to the Tigers. Witt Jr. went 0-for-2 with three walks, a strikeout, and his 30th stolen base of the season. The 24-year-old now has 32 home runs and 30 stolen bases this season, his second consecutive season with at least 30 HR and 30 stolen bases. Only six shortstops in MLB history have ever recorded a 30-30 season and Witt Jr. is now the only shortstop to record multiple 30-30 seasons. He has provided everything for fantasy managers this season, slashing .331/.386/.598 with 123 runs scored and 108 RBI in 671 plate appearances. Witt Jr. has cemented himself as a top fantasy pick for the foreseeable future.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Anne Rogers - MLB.com
3 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Blake Snell continued his stellar second half in Tuesday's 10-0 win over the Orioles. Snell pitched six innings, allowing just one hit and two walks with 12 strikeouts. The 31-year-old was barely startable for fantasy managers in the first half of the season but has been outstanding in the second half. He now owns a 4-0 record with a 1.59 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and 94 strikeouts in 11 second-half starts and 62 1/3 IP. Snell will face another tough matchup in his next start at the Royals, but fantasy managers should have him in their rotation for his final few starts of the season.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 days agoSeattle Mariners outfielder
Victor Robles (hand) left Tuesday night's game at T-Mobile Park against the visiting New York Yankees with a right-hand contusion, but X-rays came back negative. Robles had an eventful first inning, getting hit by a pitch and then being thrown out while trying to steal home plate. He was serving as the designated hitter in this one and was replaced by pinch-hitter
Mitch Garver before his second plate appearance. The 27-year-old should be considered day-to-day, and fantasy managers in deeper leagues should check back to see if he's available to start on Wednesday against the Yanks. Robles has been a lineup regular for the Mariners since being acquired from the Washington Nationals, and he's been excellent in Seattle, slashing .333/.401/.475 with four homers, 20 RBI and 25 steals in 227 trips to the plate over 67 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Mariners PR
3 days agoDetroit Tigers rookie second baseman
Colt Keith (shoulder) banged up his right shoulder on a dive in the fifth inning of Tuesday's 3-1 extra-inning win over the division-rival Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium and was removed from the game early. Keith will undergo more testing on Wednesday, at which point we'll have a better idea of how much time he may have to miss. Either way, the 23-year-old probably won't be available to play on Wednesday. Before being replaced at the keystone by
Zach McKinstry, Keith went 1-for-2 with a walk at the plate. If Keith's injury is serious enough to keep him out to close out the 2024 season, McKinstry and
Andy Ibanez would be the primary options for playing time at second in Detroit. Keith came into Tuesday's game hitting .263 (129-for-491) with 13 homers, 58 RBI and seven steals in 138 games in his first year in the majors.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Detroit News - Chris McCosky
3 days agoWashington Nationals second baseman
Luis Garcia Jr. (wrist) said his right wrist was bothering him after his last swing in Tuesday's contest at Citi Field against the division-rival New York Mets, and manager Dave Martinez removed him as a precaution. Before he was pulled, Garcia went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before eventually being replaced at the keystone by
Jose Tena. The 24-year-old's injury doesn't appear to be too serious, but fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if the Nationals give Garcia a day to rest on Wednesday. It's been a breakout season in 2024 for Garcia in his fifth year in the big leagues for Washington, as he entered Tuesday's action slashing .281/.320/.442 with career-highs in OPS (.762), home runs (16), RBI (65) and stolen bases (21) in 131 games played. If Garcia misses additional time, either Tena or
Ildemaro Vargas will pick up playing time at second base.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Washington Post - Andrew Golden
3 days agoMinnesota Twins outfielder
Max Kepler's (hip, knee) knee is doing better, but he experienced soreness in his hip area that led to him getting a cortisone injection on Monday, according to president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. The hope is that Kepler can get into minor-league rehab games with Triple-A St. Paul and possibly return to the Twins for their final homestand against the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles that runs from Tuesday, Sept. 24, through Sunday, Sept. 29. The Twins are trying to ramp the 31-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder for a possible postseason run in October. He has been dealing with tendinitis in his knee since early September, although his hip injury is now the bigger concern. Kepler is having a down year with only eight homers and a .682 OPS in 105 games, but the Twins are still hoping he can be an option for them against right-handed pitchers to close out the year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Do-Hyoung Park
4
days
agoThe
plan
is
for
Washington
Nationals
outfielder
Alex
Call
(foot)
to
go
on
a
quick
minor-league
rehab
assignment
soon
so
that
he
can
play
in
the
majors
before
the
end
of
the
regular
season
at
the
end
of
the
month.
The
Nationals
put
read more...
4 days agoWashington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that right-handed pitching prospect
Cade Cavalli (elbow) will finish his throwing program, but he's not going to pitch in a game before the end of the regular season. After missing all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery, Cavalli opened this year on the injured list and then suffered a setback with his arm in the minors while rehabbing. The 26-year-old ended up only making three starts in the Florida Complex League and at High-A Wilmington. The team's No. 8 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, has lost some prospect steam after back-to-back lost seasons due to injury. Cavalli will spend the offseason trying to get his right arm healthy, and if he can stay healthy in 2025, he could end up being a post-hype sleeper prospect to keep an eye on. He made his big-league debut late in 2022 and allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his only start before getting hurt.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Washington Post - Andrew Golden
4
days
agoBaltimore
Orioles
general
manager
Mike
Elias
said
that
infielder
Jordan
Westburg
(hand)
took
batting
practice
on
the
field
on
Tuesday
and
is
"getting
really
close
to
returning
by
the
end
of
the
regular
season."
Infielder
Ramon
Urias
(ankle)
read more...
4 days agoBaltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that first baseman
Ryan Mountcastle (wrist) is expected to go out on a minor-league rehab assignment this week, and the team is hoping he will return before the end of the regular season at the end of the month. The Orioles would love to be able to get Mountcastle some at-bats at the end of the regular season before they begin the playoffs in October. The 27-year-old first baseman has been out since Aug. 22 due to a left-wrist sprain. The 27-year-old right-handed hitter hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2021, but his power has been on the decline ever since, and he's hit only 13 round-trippers in 118 games in 2024. Mountcastle's wrist injury isn't going to help his power game to finish out the year and in the playoffs. When healthy, Mountcastle has been Baltimore's primary first baseman in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Baltimore Sun - Jacob Calvin Meyer
4 days agoBaltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that right-hander
Grayson Rodriguez (lat) is "moving in the right direction" but "time is not our friend." Elias left open the possibility of Rodriguez temporarily pitching out of the bullpen when he returns. Rodriguez is recovering from a strained right lat and has been throwing off a mound, but he's running out of time to get stretched out as a starting pitcher with the end of the 2024 regular season quickly approaching. When the 24-year-old is activated from the injured list, he could build his arm back up by coming on in relief out of the bullpen at the end of September. From there, it would be the team's call as to whether they trust him enough in a starting role in the playoffs. He has been out since late August but was a solid rotation piece for the O's and fantasy managers before his injury, going 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 130 strikeouts in his 20 starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Baltimore Sun - Jacob Calvin Meyer
4 days agoTampa Bay Rays outfielder
Richie Palacios (knee) is starting a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Tuesday and could return from the 10-day injured list next week. Palacios has been out since July 31 due to a right-knee sprain and is trying to rejoin the big-league roster right before the end of the regular season. The 27-year-old will be a non-factor the rest of the way in fantasy as outfield depth in Tampa. The former third-rounder of the Cleveland Guardians in 2018 out of Towson University is in his first year with Tampa and has hit .233/.350/.332 with a below-average .682 OPS, five home runs, a career-high 21 RBI and a career-high 19 stolen bases in 301 plate appearances over 88 games for the Rays. Palacio's speed is what makes him attractive as outfield depth in deep-mixed and AL-only fantasy formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
4 days agoTampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that left-hander
Jeffrey Springs (elbow) is doing better, but he will not pitch again in 2024. The Rays placed Springs on the 15-day injured list with left-elbow fatigue earlier this month. It just doesn't make any sense to push him back with the Rays out of playoff contention and based on the fact that the 31-year-old southpaw came back from Tommy John surgery this year. The Rays will shut him down now and have him focus on getting his left elbow completely healthy for spring training next year and the start of the 2025 campaign. Springs ended up making only seven starts this year, but he looked good in his 33 innings pitched, posting a 3.27 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 37 strikeouts and 11 walks. As long as Springs looks healthy next spring, he'll be on the fantasy radar in all formats after posting a 2.46 ERA with 144 K's in 135 1/3 innings in 2022.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
4 days agoBoston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that right-hander
Tanner Houck (shoulder) should be ready to start on Wednesday against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park. "There's a big chance he's going to start," Cora said. The Red Sox said that Houck had been scratched from his start last Friday against the New York Yankees due to a dead arm, but they further clarified he's been dealing with a shoulder injury. In any case, it wasn't serious enough to send him to the injured list, and they are hoping a little extra rest will do him well. It's a much better matchup for the 28-year-old right-hander, although the risk is inherent for a pitcher coming off any kind of injury. Houck has been solid for fantasy managers this year with a 3.24 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 28 starts, but he hasn't pitched since Sept. 5 and could be on an innings count in his return to the rotation.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MassLive.com - Christopher Smith
4 days agoThe Kansas City Royals placed right-handed reliever
James McArthur (elbow) on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with a right-elbow sprain and recalled right-hander
Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. According to MLB's Anne Rogers, McArthur has a Grade 1 UCL sprain and will be shut down for the next five to seven days, but manager Matt Quatraro said the team is hopeful it's "not a season-ending injury." Right-hander
Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) and left-hander
William Smith (back) are both scheduled for live batting practice sessions on Saturday, provided they face no setbacks the next few days. The 27-year-old McArthur opened the year as the team's closer but was eventually demoted and had been working in middle relief. McArthur will miss the rest of the regular season, but the Royals hope he can return to help their bullpen if they make the postseason.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Kansas City Royals
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