LAA •
18 days ago
Anderson carried a no-hitter into the middle innings before giving up a double to Yordan Alvarez with two outs in the sixth. He finished with six strikeouts and also handed out four free passes. He’ll bring a respectable 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 15/10 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 innings (three starts) into a home outing on Friday against the red-hot Giants.
HOU •
18 days ago
Gusto got the call to help out Houston’s injury-ravaged rotation and filled in admirably, limiting the Angels to just four hits and one walk over four frames. He struck out six and threw 72 pitches (48 strikes) in his first career start. He’ll presumably take the ball on Friday against the Padres, but that isn’t exactly official yet.
CIN • SS
18 days ago
De La Cruz took Pirates starter Andrew Heaney deep with a no-doubter to left field in the third inning for his second career grand slam. It was his third round-tripper of the season and wound up being his lone hit in four at-bats in a relatively low-scoring contest at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. The 23-year-old X-factor is still striking out close to 30 percent of the time, but it won’t make a significant difference for fantasy purposes, especially if his elite power/speed combo remains intact.
PIT • RF
18 days ago
Canario took Reds lefty Andrew Abbott deep in the fifth inning for his first big fly of the season. The 24-year-old top prospect appears poised to get an extended opportunity this season with the Pirates, but he’s off to a bit of a slow start, hitting .125 (2-for-16) through seven games.
CIN •
18 days ago
Pagán got the call from Reds manager Terry Francona to protect a three-run lead in the final frame and needed just 14 pitches (eight strikes) to set down the lower-third of Pittsburgh’s lineup in rapid succession. The 33-year-old veteran has picked up three saves over the last five days and appears firmly in the mix with Tony Santillan to handle Cincinnati’s closing duties.
CIN •
18 days ago
Abbott struck out five and issued a pair of walks in his season debut after missing the early portion of the regular season making his way back from last year’s shoulder injury. He carried a shutout into the fifth inning before coughing up a solo blast to Alexander Canario, which represented the lone tally against him. He’ll square off against the Orioles on Friday in his next outing.
PIT •
18 days ago
Heaney looked sharp through two frames before giving up a double, hitting a pair of batters, and serving up a grand slam to Elly De La Cruz in the third inning. He finished with six strikeouts and only issued two walks. He’s posted a solid 3.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 18/4 K/BB ratio across 18 innings (three starts) to open the year. He’ll face the Nationals on Thursday in a home matchup.
MIA • 3B
18 days ago
Norby figures to only require a handful of additional rehab games to get back up to speed before returning to Miami’s lineup after opening the year on the shelf with an oblique strain. Barring something unexpected, he should be ready to return at some point next week.
MIL •
18 days ago
Woodruff topped out at 95.1 mph and threw 66 pitches (44 strikes) in his first minor league outing since undergoing shoulder surgery prior to last year. It was a positive sign to see the velocity where it needs to be, only a couple ticks (roughly three mph) lower than pre-surgery levels, but he only generated five swinging strikes in this one. The 32-year-old should be ready to make his long-awaited return to Milwaukee’s starting rotation by late April or early May.
CHC • PH-1B
18 days ago
It’s an opportunity for Turner to make an appearance at the hot corner, potentially for the final time in his career, at Dodger Stadium. The 40-year-old has been mostly limited to first base this season in his Cubs debut, hitting .222 (4-for-18) with three RBI in eight games. It’ll be rookie Matt Shaw taking a seat on Saturday night.
Source: MLB.com
CHC • P
18 days ago
Rea represents the most logical choice to replace an injured Justin Steele (elbow) in Chicago’s starting rotation. However, he’s the least exciting from a pure fantasy standpoint. It’ll likely be Javier Assad (oblique) taking this spot once he’s ready to return. There’s very limited streaming appeal here for fantasy managers outside of NL-only formats, especially against the Dodgers juggernaut of a lineup.
Source: Maddie Lee
ATL • C
18 days ago
Murphy has started four of the five games since his return from the injured list and has looked good at the plate. After drawing a walk in the second inning, he led off the seventh with a solo homer off Manuel Rodríguez to put the Braves on the board. The 30-year-old backstop then slugged his second homer of the game to tie things in the eighth off Hunter Bigge, his third homer over four games.
ATL • CF
18 days ago
Harris got on base with a single to lead off the game and stole second before he was left stranded. He came through for the team in a big spot late, taking Cole Suler deep for a go-ahead two-run blast that would ultimately win the game for Atlanta. The 24-year-old outfielder now has two homers and one steal on the season while hitting .231/.250/.385 across 58 plate appearances.
ATL •
18 days ago
Iglesias was called on to close things out with a two-run lead over the Rays. He served up a solo homer to Jonathan Aranda, but held on to convert his second save of the season.
ATL •
18 days ago
Smith-Shawver surrendered a solo homer to Junior Caminero in the first inning. He got into some trouble in the third, walking a run in with the bases loaded before escaping the jam with two straight strikeouts. The 22-year-old right-hander settled in for three more scoreless innings, striking out seven in his best start in the early season. He’ll draw a matchup against the Twins in Atlanta on Friday.
LAD • DH
18 days ago
The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya adds that Ohtani threw fastballs and splitters exclusively in his latest side session. The 30-year-old two-way superstar remains without a definitive timetable to return to pitching in game action and hasn’t progressed to facing hitters yet in live batting practice. It seems unlikely that he’s going to be ready until sometime in the second half, if it happens at all.
Source: Fabian Ardaya
MIA • 1B
18 days ago
Mervis put the Marlins on the board with a solo homer off Trevor Williams to lead off the second inning. The 26-year-old first baseman is taking advantage of his playing time against right-handed pitching, slashing .281/.333/.656 with four homers and eight RBI over 36 plate appearances.
MIA •
18 days ago
After Anthony Bender pitched in two of the last three days and taking the blown save on Friday, Faucher was summoned to close it out in the ninth with a one-run lead against the Nationals. He worked a clean frame, striking out the final batter for his first save of the season. Despite his early struggles, Faucher could work his way into the closer role in Miami given the lack of options on the team.
MIA •
18 days ago
Alcantara had faced the minimum through three scoreless innings before giving up three runs on three hits and two walks before recording an out in the fourth. Two hits and a walk in the sixth made it four runs for the Nationals before Alcantara’s day was done 87 pitches. It wasn’t the sharpest day for the 29-year-old right-hander as he walked four and struck out just one batter. Miami did give him the run support to come away with the win. He’ll take on the Diamondbacks in Miami on Thursday.
BOS •
18 days ago
The rally never should have started; Chapman got ahead of Luis Robert Jr. 0-2, dotted the corners with the next two pitches only to see them called balls and eventually walked him. A stolen base and a single later, the game was over. It’s the first run Chapman has allowed in six innings for Boston.
BAL • C
18 days ago
Rutschman’s solo homer off Bowden Francis in the sixth inning tied the game before Baltimore took the lead later in the inning. It was the third home run of the season for the 27-year-old catcher. He’s slashing a solid .265/.357/.469 with nine runs scored and five RBI across 56 plate appearances.
BAL • LF
18 days ago
Kjerstad had the Orioles’ first hit of the day and it was a big one as he took Bowden Francis deep for a two-run blast in the fifth inning for his first home run of the season. The 26-year-old outfielder should continue to get playing time against right-handed pitching.
TOR • DH
18 days ago
Santander got on the board with his first home run of the season, taking Tomoyuki Sugano deep for a solo blast in the third inning. The 30-year-old slugger has gotten off to a cold start at the plate, slashing .190/.288/.259 over 66 plate appearances. Hopefully Saturday’s blast can get him going at the dish.
BAL •
18 days ago
Bautista finally got a save chance for the Orioles on Saturday as no Baltimore reliever had recorded a save going into the day. He pitched through some shaky control with two walks, striking out the final batter for his first save of the season.
BAL •
18 days ago
Sugano allowed a run on back-to-back doubles to start the game before escaping the first inning with just the one run scored. A walk and two base hits brought one more run in for the Blue Jays in the second. Anthony Santander added one more for Toronto in the third on a solo blast. Sugano would exit in the fifth with two outs at 73 pitches. He failed to record a strikeout. The 35-year-old right-hander has struck out just five batters through 14 innings on the season. He’ll take on the Guardians in Baltimore on Thursday.
MIN • 3B
18 days ago
The Twins are apparently ready to make a change at the hot corner after Miranda committed a costly mistake on the basepaths during Saturday’s loss to the Tigers, which dropped Minnesota to 4-11 overall on the young season. Miranda was hitting .167 with one homer and five RBI through 12 games. It’ll be Brooks Lee (back) coming off the injured list to take his roster spot ahead of Sunday’s game.
Source: Aaron Gleeman
TOR •
18 days ago
Francis hadn’t allowed a hit through four scoreless innings until Heston Kjerstad took him deep for a two-run blast in the fifth. Things further unraveled in the sixth. Adley Rutschman added a run with a solo homer before a walk, base hit, and a double made it five runs for Baltimore. Francis’s day would be done with two outs in the inning. The 28-year-old right-hander will draw a better matchup when he takes on the Mariners in Toronto on Friday.
BOS •
18 days ago
Fitts was in the midst of the strongest performance of his young career when he was forced to depart the contest with apparent shoulder discomfort. The 25-year-old struck out five and scattered three baserunners over five scoreless frames before leaving the contest at the outset of the sixth inning. Any sort of extended absence would put some additional strain on the Red Sox’ injury-depleted rotation. He’s headed back to Boston to undergo additional testing, including an MRI, to determine the severity of the issue. He’s obviously in serious jeopardy of missing his next scheduled start on Friday against the White Sox. There should be an update on his status in the coming days.
Source: Chris Cotillo
ATH • 1B
18 days ago
Soderstrom put the A’s on the board with a base hit in the fourth to drive in Jacob Wilson. He then crossed the plate to score on a groundout later in the inning. The 23-year-old first baseman is off to an early breakout, slashing .321/.397/.679 with six homers over 63 plate appearances. Perhaps the most impressive part his success is the 19 percent strikeout rate.
NYM • LF
18 days ago
Nimmo broke the shutout in the sixth inning with a solo homer to right field off J.T. Ginn. It was the only run the Mets would score on the day. The 32-year-old outfielder is slashing .208/.259/.472 with four homers over 58 plate appearances. Despite the low batting average, his outstanding hard-hit rate while limiting strikeouts bodes well going forward.
