American League
In The Field
The Athletics have optioned OF Esteury Ruiz to Triple-A. This is huge news for those who drafted Ruiz to be a big part of their stolen base plan. He hit .254 with 5 HR and 67 SB last year in 132 GP but struggled in spring (.236 AVG with 31% K). The Athletics have said that they want him to lead off and play every day which is why he is at Triple-A. Something smells fishy here. 3B Josh Jung has been placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured wrist. He is looking at an 8-10 week recovery after having surgery to repair the injury. This is tough news after he missed a large chunk of spring with an injury. The Rangers called up prospect INF Justin Foscue to take his roster spot. Foscue hit .266 with 18 HR, 94 R, 84 RBI, and 14 SB in 122 GP at Triple-A last year. He did so with good plate skills (15% BB and 12% K). It remains to be seen but the Rangers have rolled with a combination of Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran so far so Foscue is not an add until he gets a shot. 2B Brandon Lowe (oblique) was targeting a return to the lineup on Saturday and he was able to make good on that. Oblique injuries are notoriously difficult for hitters which means that we need to keep a close eye on Lowe for a setback. INF Curtis Mead would likely see increased playing time but the Rays are likely to mix and match to fill the spot. UTIL Eloy Jimenez (adductor) hasn't played since getting hurt on Sunday. They were hopeful that he would be able to avoid the IL but he was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday. DH Gavin Sheets has been at DH while Jimenez has been out of the lineup. As long as the White Sox are facing right-handers Sheets will be the DH. 2B Vaughn Grissom (groin/hamstring) is close to a rehab assignment and he is expected to start every day at second which is going to push 2B Enmanuel Valdez into a bench role crushing his fantasy value. 2B Michael Massey (back) started a rehab assignment on Friday for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He is looking likely to return to the Royals sometime early next week. Nick Lofton and Adam Frazier have been splitting time at second base so Massey will slide right back in when activated. 3B Royce Lewis (quad) received a PRP injection in his right quadricep to try to speed up the healing of his strained quad. 1B Nathaniel Lowe (oblique) took batting practice on Friday which is a good sign for his recovery and his next step is facing live pitching according to manager Bruce Bochy. 1B Jared Walsh has started five of six games at 1B and has looked good in the early going (.346 AVG with 1 HR, 7 R, 3 RBI, and 0 SB). 2B Luis Rengifo (head) was not in the Angels lineup on Friday after leaving Wednesday's game early after feeling lightheaded. He is day-to-day. 1B Ty France was placed on the paternity list on Friday and will miss the weekend series before returning early next week. OF Kevin Kiermaier was scratched from the lineup on Friday with lower-back tightness. He returned to the lineup on Saturday. C Danny Jansen (wrist) was able to take batting practice and catch two bullpens as he works his way back from a wrist fracture. The next step is to face high-velocity batting practice. SS Trevor Story left Friday's game with a left shoulder injury. He is going to have an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury. SS Pablo Reyes will fill in for him in the short term but if it turns out to be a long-term injury the Red Sox will need to find an upgrade. OF Luis Robert left Friday's game early with a right hip flexor injury. Manager Pedro Grifol said they will know more after testing but Robert has had a hip flexor injury before and it was a 2-3 month recovery. He was placed on the 10-day IL. The White Sox do not have good depth so if he were to miss extended time OF Kevin Pillar figures to see the majority of the starts. Pillar provides a little bit of power and speed but his 35-year-old old coming off a .228 AVG with 9 HR/4 SB in 81 GP for the Atlanta Braves in 2023. The White Sox also called up OF Robbie Grossman when OF Eloy Jimenez went on the 10-day IL. Grossman figures to be on the short side of the platoon at the minimum.
On The Mound
Ronel Blanco threw a no-hitter for the Astros this week. He is making a case to stay in the rotation even when Justin Verlander comes back. It isn't because he threw a no-hitter it's because he has added a third pitch to his fastball/slider combo. He threw his changeup 34% of the time and it graded out as a plus pitch by multiple stuff metrics. This gives him a weapon against left-handed batters as well as keeps hitters off balance. Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to start his rehab assignment on Sunday with Triple-A Sugar Land. He is expected to go between 70-75 pitches in this start and then make one more before returning. He is lined up to return as soon as the April 17 series against the Braves or the Nationals right after. The White Sox decided to bring back RHP Mike Clevinger on a one-year deal. The odd man out in the rotation once Clevinger is ready to go will likely be Chris Flexen. Clevinger posted a 3.77 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across 131.1 IP. His underlying skills (20% K, 7% BB, and 4.81 SIERA) point toward a pitcher that is only viable as a streamer. Michael Lorenzen (neck) went 2.2 IP in his first rehab start allowing 3 ER, 2 BB, and 3 K's. In his most recent appearance, he went 4 IP (70 pitches). He is continuing to build up his pitch count as he got a late start to the season due to signing late. Alek Manoah (shoulder) is going to start a rehab assignment on Sunday with Single-A Dunedin. Until Manoah shows that his stuff has returned over an extended period it isn't even worth speculating on. Sawyer Gipson-Long (groin) threw a three-inning simulated game on Tuesday. The Tigers currently don't have an opening in their rotation (Skubal, Maeda, Flaherty, Olson, and Mize) so they can take their time in his rehab. Gavin Williams (elbow) is getting close to a rehab assignment but is likely going to need multiple starts to continue to build up his pitch count in his return to the rotation. Williams has shown promise both in the majors and in the minors. He can miss bats but needs to refine his control to take the next step forward. Shane Bieber has been placed on the 15-day IL with ligament damage in his pitching elbow. He is going to have Tommy John surgery and be out for the rest of the season. The Guardians will likely patch it together until Williams returns from his rehab assignment. The Guardians rotation now features Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee, Carlos Carrasco, and Triston McKenzie. Joey Cantillo and Will Dion are two names to keep an eye on as young Guardians who could debut this year.
In The Bullpen
Robert Stephenson (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and is expected to face live hitters as the next step in his recovery. He was expected to compete for the closer role but that seems to be put on hold while he recovers from injury. Carlos Esteves is locked in as the closer for the time being. He picked up the Angels' first two saves before Luis Garcia and Guillermo Zuniga each picked up a save. Jordan Romano (elbow) was able to complete a bullpen session on Tuesday. This was the first time that he had done mound work since experiencing elbow inflammation. He will need more sessions before facing live hitters and ultimately returning. Michael Kopech picked up his first save on Tuesday. It was not the cleanest outing but it did show that the White Sox trust Kopech to be the guy when given a save opportunity. The White Sox aren't going to win many games but anyone getting save chances needs to be rostered and Kopech appears to have the role to himself. Will Smith picked up a save and blew a save this week. Overall, he has struggled for the Royals (20.25 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, and 12% K). This would normally make the next guy up, James McArthur, an easy add but he has struggled as well (12.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, and 19% K). Picking up McArthur on the cheap might be worth it because Smith looks to be toast. John Brebbia left Friday's game early with what is being described as right calf soreness which is also the same injury he dealt with during spring training. The Tigers bullpen is likely going to be in flux all year because manager AJ Hinch is going to mix and match based on the matchups which in his words "My apologies to the fantasy lovers out there". Jason Foley is the best pitcher in their pen and has the best stuff but Alex Lange and Shelby Miller could see save chances in certain situations. Kenley Jansen has dealt with injuries to start the year but was able to secure two saves this week. Chris Martin would be the guy to pick up if Jansen were to miss any time.
Players to add this week:
SP Ronel Blanco (HOU)- Ronel Blanco threw a no-hitter for the Astros this week. He is making a case to stay in the rotation even when Justin Verlander comes back. It isn't because he threw a no-hitter it's because he has added a third pitch to his fastball/slider combo. He threw his changeup 34% of the time and it graded out as a plus pitch by multiple stuff metrics. This gives him a weapon against left-handed batters as well as keeps hitters off balance. He has shown the ability to miss bats at a high rate in the minors but has struggled at times. If he has improved stuff and sequencing it gives him a chance to break out. The Astros have a track record of developing their pitches which gives you even more faith.
RP James McArthur (KCR)- James McArthur has not pitched well this year so far (12.00 ERA and 2.33 WHIP) but the guy in front of him for saves came into the year with question marks and has looked even worse (20.25 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, and 12% K). This is a highly speculative move but one that could pay off because McArthur is the better pitcher and his price should be low right now given his struggles.
OF Oswaldo Cabrera (NYY)- Oswaldo Cabrera is off to a hot start to the year. He is hitting .346 with 2 HR, 4 R, 7 RBI, and 0 SB in 7 GP. He is coming off a disappointing 2023 season in which he hit .211 with 5 HR, 35 R, 29 RBI, and 8 SB in 115 GP. Cabrera is playing regularly and hot right now so he needs to be rostered but there are concerns long term (5% Barrels, 32% Hardhit, and .412 BABIP).
SP Brady Singer (KCR)- Brady Singer has made two starts and has been very good. He has pitched 13.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, and 14 K. The strikeouts have been nice to see but he hasn't made any significant changes. His velocity is still the same and he is still a two-pitch pitcher (FB and SL). Singer has made a small change against left-handed batters by throwing more four-seamers instead of his traditional two-seam. Any approach that is different to LHB (.330 wOBA and 1.22 HR/9) is important. Singer is worth picking up but keep an eye on his strikeout rate over the next couple of starts for signs to quickly drop.
SP Garrett Crochet (CWS)- Garrett Crochet has looked great in his attempt to become a starting pitcher. He has now made two starts (13 IP) and has shown the ability to miss bats (33% K and 14% SwStr) which is key when making the transition from reliever to starter. His 114 Stuff+ and 109 Location+ are both above-average which gives credence to his strikeout and walk numbers in a small sample. He isn't likely to have many innings this year which makes it important to pick him up now and ride him until the White Sox decide to shut him down.
3B Maikel Garcia (KCR)- Maikel Garcia is playing every day and is hitting .235 with 3 HR, 4 R, 8 RBI, and 1 SB. He is coming off a rookie season in which he hit .272 with 4 HR, 59 R, 50 RBI, and 23 SB. The power increase so far has been unexpected. It hasn't been a fluke either because he has barreled the ball (24% Barrels). He hit the ball hard last year (51% Hardhit) but mainly into the ground (48% GB). It is a small sample but he has hit more flyballs (+17%) which is going to help his power. He now has 10-15 HR power instead of single digits to go along with 20+ SB speed. Garcia has traded more power for contact (+6% K or 28% K) which isn't going to be good for his average. He needs to combine it all but now is the time to pick him up and find out.
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