In The Field
OF Tyler O'Neill (concussion) has been placed on the concussion IL. He hopes to be activated on Tuesday when first eligible to return. O'Neill has started off strong (.313 AVG with 7 HR, 14 R, 8 RBI, and 1 SB). He has shown good plate skills (18% BB, 21% K) while crushing the ball (23% Barrels). 3B Rafael Devers is now dealing with a knee injury in addition to the shoulder injury that he has been dealing with since the start of the season. He has not hit the IL yet but he has clearly been playing injured and it shows (.188 AVG with 2 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, and 0 SB). He was not in the lineup on Saturday which makes three straight games missed. 2B Michael Massey (back) returned to the Royals lineup on Friday. He missed the beginning of the season due to a lower back injury and is expected to get the majority of the playing time at second. He hit .229 with 15 HR, 42 R, 55 RBI, and 6 SB in 129 GP last year. 1B Nathaniel Lowe was expected back this weekend but manager Bruce Bochy said that he will need roughly 30 at-bats before returning. They want him to be ready to jump straight in when he returns. After Bochy said this on Friday, Lowe was activated on Saturday with 1B Jared Walsh designated for assignment. 3B Yoan Moncada (adductor) has gone to extended spring training to move forward with his rehab. He is out until the All-Star break. OF Max Kepler (knee) started a rehab assignment on Thursday. He is expected back on Sunday or Monday. 3B J.D. Davis was placed on the 10-day IL with a right adductor strain. The Athletics called up OF Esteury Ruiz and he has been phenomenal (.357 AVG with 2 HR, 5 R, 4 RBI, and 2 SB). OF Josh Lowe (oblique) started his rehab assignment on Friday. He played centerfield which could be an indication that the Rays are looking to potentially play OF Jose Siri (.200 AVG with 42% K) less. This would mean that they could go with a platoon of OF Richie Palacios and OF Amed Rosario in right field if Lowe can handle center. 1B Triston Casas was removed from the game early on Saturday. He grabbed his left side during his first at-bat. Casas was hitting for power (6 HR and 136 wRC+) but had a lower batting average because of an increased strikeout rate (29% K). C Jonah Heim was placed on the bereavement list. SS Royce Lewis (quad) has started baseball activities and expects to start a running progression next week. 3B Anthony Rendon left Saturday's game with a hamstring injury. He is day-to-day for right now but may require an IL stint depending on the severity of the injury. He had just gotten hot (.381 AVG over his last 10 GP). 3B Abraham Toro has started playing every day and is batting leadoff for the Athletics. It is not a great situation but any leadoff hitter has value.
On The Mound
Blue Jays top pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann was placed on the minor league IL on Thursday. He had been struggling at Triple-A to start the year (5 ER and 7 BB in 8 IP). He is going to have to prove that he is healthy and that his stuff is back before being considered for a call-up. Nick Pivetta (elbow) and Garrett Whitlock (oblique) are on the 15-day IL for the Red Sox. Pivetta has been able to throw but hasn't done any mound work. He is eligible to return on Sunday but that isn't looking likely. Given the length of his absence, he will likely need one rehab start before returning. Sawyer Gipson-Long (elbow) got multiple opinions on his elbow injury which ultimately led to Tommy John surgery. Taj Bradley (pec) threw 50 pitches in a simulated game on Wednesday. This is a nice positive for Bradley as he tries to make his sophomore debut. He is looking at a mid-May return. Justin Verlander (shoulder) made his season debut on Friday (6 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K). Verlander is trying to show that he still has it at the age of 41. He experienced a drop in strikeouts (22% K) and had a 4.43 SIERA in 2023. Kyle Bradish (elbow) looked good in his first rehab start (3 IP, 0 ER, 4 K). He threw 44 pitches and was 95-96 mph with his fastball which is right in line with last year. It was a good first step but he will need to make it through multiple rehab starts unscathed before joining the Orioles rotation. Lance McCullers (forearm) has started throwing off a mound. He is without a timetable for his return. Luis Garcia (elbow) threw his first bullpen session on Tuesday. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected back until the end of the year. Tyler Wells was placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. He has struggled in 3 GS with a 5.87 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. His 4.05 SIERA paints a different picture but until he misses bats again (19% K) he will continue to struggle. Max Scherzer (back) threw a 25-pitch live BP session on Monday and is now aiming for an early to mid-May return. He came away feeling good and is going to make his first rehab start next Wednesday. Framber Valdez (elbow) played catch on Friday and is expected to throw off a mound in the next couple of days. He is not going to return when first eligible next week but this progression makes an early May return likely.
In The Bullpen
The Angels big offseason move, Robert Stephenson, is going to miss the year due to surgery on his elbow. This means that Carlos Esteves is locked in as the Angels closer until he proves that they need to make a change. The Rangers are expected to have Josh Sborz back on Monday as he returns from a shoulder injury. The Rangers have gone to Kirby Yates as their closer so Sborz will slide back into a primary relief role. Jhoan Duran (oblique) was able to throw a bullpen (21 pitches) on Friday and felt good afterward. The next step is a rehab assignment and an activation quickly after that. Craig Kimbrel was able to pick up two saves and a win for the Orioles. He has been excellent this year (1.13 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, and 52% K). Pete Fairbanks blew another save and setup man Colin Poche picked up a save. Jordan Romano picked up a save on his first day off the IL which was good to see. This ends Yimi Garcia and Chad Green's fantasy value. Emmanuel Clase blew a save earlier in the week but bounced back with one on Thursday. He has looked good to start the year (1.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 20% K:BB). Jason Foley picked up three saves this past week with Andrew Chafin getting two wins and Shelby Miller taking two losses. James McArthur got two saves as the Royals closer. The Twins bullpen struggled this past week with Griffin Jax blowing a save and taking a loss. Steven Kert blew a save and Caleb Thielbar took a loss.
Players to add this week:
SP Kirby Yates (TEX)- Kirby Yates has taken over as the Rangers closer. He has been excellent this year. He has a 0.00 ERA, 0.46 WHIP, and 27% K:BB. He's had a rough injury history since 2020 but has been a plus pitcher when on the mound. If he is still available he needs to be picked up immediately.
3B Jordan Westburg (BAL)- Jordan Westburg has been hot of late and has upped his season-long line to .313 AVG with 4 HR, 12 R, 14 RBI, and 2 SB. He has shown an improved strikeout rate (20% K) and has hit the ball harder (12% Barrels and 63% Hardhit). It is a small sample but both are encouraging so he needs to be rostered across the board. He's got .260 AVG with 20 HR/10 SB potential throughout a full season.
SP Yariel Rodriguez (TOR)- Yariel Rodriguez has now made two starts. He has shown the ability to miss bats (41% K and 13% SwStr). He features a fastball (95 mph), slider, and split-finger. He is going to be on an innings limit after not throwing many innings the past few years but that is a worry for down the road. We will know more about his potential the more starts we get but he has shown us enough to make it worth adding him in mixed leagues.
OF Amed Rosario (TBR)- Amed Rosario has started strong after a disappointing 2023 season. He is hitting .333 with 2 HR, 6 R, 10 RBI, and 2 SB. He went to Driveline in the offseason with the hopes of hitting the ball harder and that is exactly what he has done. He is posting career highs in barrel rate (11%) and Hardhit% (49%). He has been able to do this without sacrificing his ability to make contact (13% K).
OF Jonatan Clase (SEA)-Jonatan Clase was called up on Thursday and has been in the lineup in each of the three games since. Clase was hitting .311 with 2 HR, 9 R, 11 RBI, and 3 SB in 12 GP at Triple-A. He has a fantasy-relevant game because of his speed. He hit .222 with 13 HR, 79 R, 51 RBI, and 62 SB in 108 GP last year in Triple-A. Clase will likely struggle to hit for average but he is going to steal bases.
C Ryan Jeffers (MIN)- Ryan Jeffers isn't a sexy pickup but in deeper mixed leagues or two catcher formats, he is someone to consider if you need a catcher. He is hitting .250 with 3 HR, 9 R, 12 RBI, and 0 SB. He has shown good plate skills (20% K and 6% BB) to go along with strong quality of contact metrics (10% Barrels). He is playing a lot because when he isn't catching he has been DH'ing of late. He is also hitting second in the order which is a boost to his counting stats.
RP James McArthur (KCR)- James McArthur has moved into the closer role for the Royals. He has a 3.74 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. He has missed bats (29% K and 17% SwStr) which is what you want from a closer. He has also shown good control (2% BB). His 1.34 WHIP would normally be a red flag but he is missing bats, controlling the strike zone, not giving up homers, and has a 2.27 SIERA. McArthur has been hurt by a .429 BABIP.
OF Esteury Ruiz (OAK)- Esteury Ruiz has been red hot since coming up. He is hitting .357 with 2 HR, 5 R, 4 RBI, and 2 SB. He came into the year wanting to hit for more power and so far he looks good. His 23% Barrels and 54% Hardhit look great. His 109.8 mph maxEV also shows that he has enough power to hit double-digit home runs to go along with his elite speed. If he was dropped or is available he needs to be a priority add.
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