In The Field
C Alejandro Kirk missed Tuesday's game after getting hit on the head with a backswing on Sunday, but he was in the rest of the week. OF Yordan Alvarez (hand) is still day-to-day with his hand injury. He was able to hit in the cage on Thursday but did not play against the Rangers. He was expected back this weekend but did not return on Saturday. His return is expected soon. OF Byron Buxton and SS Carlos Correa collided going after a flyball on Thursday. Buxton and Correa were put in the concussion protocol after the game. Buxton cleared the concussion protocol initially, but both Correa and Buxton were placed on the 7-day concussion IL. OF Travis Jankowski was placed on the 10-day IL with a left groin strain. It was good timing for the Rays because they welcomed back OF Josh Lowe. He was the DH and hit leadoff against a right-handed pitcher on Thursday. Lowe is coming off a down year (.241 AVG with 10 HR, 37 R, 34 RBI, and 25 SB). The upside is that he cuts his strikeouts to 2023 levels and once again becomes a five-category player. Regardless, he will be a four-category contributor while being a deficit in average. OF Harrison Bader left Thursday's game early due to left groin tightness. He is considered day-to-day. Bader has been playing regularly and playing well. He is hitting .300 with 4 HR, 16 R, 18 RBI, and 4 SB. Bader has backed that up with good plate skills (22% K and 10% BB) and hitting the ball hard (10% Barrels). 1B Ty France was out of the lineup on Thursday with a left foot contusion. OF Andrew Benintendi (calf) is without a timeline for his return, and the most recent news says he will be reevaluated in 1-2 weeks. The White Sox are playing Brooks Baldwin, Michael A. Taylor, and Luis Robert Jr. in the outfield on most nights. SS J.P. Crawford (shoulder) was not in the lineup on Wednesday. He is considered day-to-day. He has been good to start the year (.271 AVG with 3 HR, 18 R, 18 RBI, and 2 SB). OF Parker Meadows (arm) is close to a rehab assignment. He has been out since February with a nerve issue. Since he has missed an extended period of time, the Tigers will likely give him an extended rehab assignment to make sure he is healthy and get his timing and rhythm back. Meadows hit .244 with 9 HR/9 SB in 82 GP last year. He's got double-digit HR/SB upside when he does return. The tigers will have a playing time issue when he does return. The two most at risk are 3B Colt Keith and UTIL Zach McKinstry. 3B Oswalda Cabrera is seeking multiple opinions on his fractured ankle. He is likely out for the remainder of 2025 and is deciding whether surgery is the best option moving forward. 2B Andres Gimenez (quad) has started baseball activities. He has struggled so far (.195 AVG with 3 HR, 17 R, 10 RBI, and 9 SB). He has maintained good plate skills (18% K and 7% BB) but has struggled to hit the ball hard (4% Barrels and 31% Hardhit). This has resulted in a .220 BABIP. SS Corey Seager (hamstring) is expected to be out for more than the 10-day minimum. Once again, he has been good when on the field (.300 AVG with 6 HR, 15 R, 12 RBI, and 0 SB), but this is already his second trip to the IL this year. 3B Josh Smith is going to fill in for him while he is out. If Smith is available, he needs to be picked up (.306 AVG with 4 HR/4 SB). 1B Romy Gonzalez was placed on the 10-day IL but is expected back when first eligible on May 18. He was on the strong side of a platoon at first base for the Red Sox. 1B Nick Sogard is currently getting most of the starts at first base. OF Lane Thomas (wrist) is expected to play in a week's worth of rehab games before being activated. He started his rehab assignment on Tuesday. 3B Jordan Westburg (hamstring) has suffered a setback, according to former manager Brandon Hyde. He has paused his running progression. The Orioles got back 3B Ramon Urias this week, which means he and 3B Emmanuel Rivera will continue to share time at 3B. OF Anthony Santander is experiencing left hip soreness. He has struggled in his early time in Toronto (.187 AVG with 5 HR, 12 R, 16 RBI, and 0 SB). 3B Yoan Moncada left Friday's game early with a thumb injury. He is considered day-to-day. OF Mike Trout (knee) has started hitting off a machine. He has also been able to throw and do agility drills, so he appears to be progressing in his rehab. The Angels have still not given a timetable for his return, though. OF Tyler O'Neill was scratched from the Orioles' lineup on Friday due to left shoulder discomfort. OF Chandler Simpson suffered a bloody nose and lip on a play at the plate in Saturday's game. He is expected back on Sunday. OF Evan Carter was not in the Rangers lineup on Saturday due to right quad tightness.
On The Mound
J.T. Ginn (elbow) made his final rehab start on Thursday (3.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, and 5 K). He is expected to start on Monday against the Angels. Ginn has a 4.61 ERA and 1.54 WHIP through 3 GS with 24% K and 10% BB. Tanner Houck was placed on the 15-day with right flexor pronator strain. He has struggled this year (8.04 ERA and 1.69 WHIP). His strikeout rate has dropped (16% K), which is a result of decreased stuff (97 Stuff+). The hope is that he will get healthy and return to form. Bryce Miller has been shut down due to right elbow inflammation. He was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday. Miller has struggled this year (5.22 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and 8% K:BB). He showed decreased velocity on all of his pitches but his cutter. However, he only threw it 2% of the time. The hope is that he gets healthy and his stuff returns. The Mariners called up Jhonathan Diaz to take his roster spot. Diaz had a 5.87 ERA and 1.47 WHIP with 13% K:BB in Triple-A. Logan Gilbert (elbow) threw a 25-pitch bullpen on Tuesday and felt good about it. The next step will be a rehab assignment. He will likely need multiple rehab appearances before returning in order to build up his pitch count. Gilbert was excellent prior to the injury (2.37 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 33% K:BB). Max Scherzer (thumb) has had his rehab slowed due to lower back soreness. Scherzer continues to deal with injury after injury as he tries to make it back to a major league mound. He is eligible to return from the 60-day IL on May 29, but that isn't looking like a reality anyway. Ben Lively was placed on the 15-day IL with a right flexor strain. Shane McClanahan (tricep) is still feeling discomfort in his left tricep when throwing. There is no timetable for his return. Cole Ragans left Friday's start with left groin tightness. He gave up 4 ER in 5 IP. On the year, he has a 4.53 ERA and 1.20 WHIP through 9 GS. His 2.28 SIERA gives more confidence that Ragan can turn it around. His skills are excellent (38% K and 7% BB), but he has been hurt by a .376 BABIP and 64% LOB. Unfortunately, he was placed on the 15-day IL on Saturday. Walker Buehler (shoulder) is set to start on Tuesday against the Mets. Buehler threw a successful live BP session on Thursday and feels good enough to return to the big league club. Buehler has a 4.28 ERA and 1.22 WHIP through 6 GS. He is struggling to miss bats (21% K), which is backed up by a low swinging strike rate (8% SwStr) and decreased Stuff+ numbers. Seth Lugo had his start skipped on Saturday due to right middle finger inflammation. He was not expected to hit the 15-day IL, but that changed on Saturday when they officially put him on the 15-day IL. George Kirby (shoulder) was up to 97.5 mph in his latest rehab start. He also threw 64 pitches, which means that he is close to returning.
In The Bullpen
Ben Joyce had shoulder surgery on Wednesday and is out for the rest of the year. The Orioles' bullpen blew two saves (Yennier Cano and Keegan Aiken) and two losses (Bautista and Cano). Felix Bautista has turned it around after a slow start (2.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 28% K, 15% BB, and 7-7 in save chances). Luke Weaver picked up two saves this week and continues to look dominant (0.44 ERA, 0.59 WHIP, and 22% K:BB). Jeff Hoffman blew another save and now has a 6.05 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He has converted 9 of 11 chances but has been bitten by the home run (1.86 HR/9). He isn't in danger of losing his job yet, but Yimi Garcia would be the next guy up. The White Sox bullpen continues to be a mess, with Cam Booser and Mike Vasil picking up saves while Steven Wilson blew a save. The Tigers' bullpen is also a mess from a fantasy perspective. Will Vest got a win this week. Beau Briske got a win and a save, while Tyler Holton blew a save. Jhoan Duran picked up a save and a win this week, but setup man Cole Sands got two saves. The back end of the Rangers' bullpen has experienced injury (Luke Jackson and Chris Martin), so Jacob Webb (1) and Shawn Armstrong (2) got saves this week.
Players to add this week:
3B Josh Smith (TEX)- Josh Smith is hitting .305 with 4 HR, 19 R, 10 RBI, and 4 SB. He is successful because he has good plate skills (10% BB and 17% K) and he hits the ball hard enough (7% Barrels) to have non-zero power. With Corey Seager on the IL, Smith should see regular at-bats at shortstop while he is out. It is not a sexy profile but one that is more valuable the deeper the league.
SS Trey Sweeney (DET)- Trey Sweeney is playing regularly for the Tigers. He is hitting .259 with 4 HR, 24 R, 21 RBI, and 2 SB. He has shown good plate skills (9% BB and 23% K) to go along with average power (7% Barrels and .119 ISO). It is more of a deep league play, but he has double-digit HR and SB potential, which is valuable in 12-15 team formats.
OF Trent Grisham (NYY)- Trent Grisham has gone from fourth outfielder to becoming the Yankees' starting CF and leadoff hitter. He is hitting .276 with 12 HR, 23 R, 22 RBI, and 0 SB. It is just 37 GP, but his 20% K would be the lowest of his career and the lowest since 2021 when he struck out 23% of the time. He also has the highest barrel rate of his career (18% Barrels). Grisham also plays in a park that is very friendly to LHB, which makes him even more appealing.
OF Trevor Larnach (MIN)- Larnach is hitting .245 with 7 HR, 24 R, 23 RBI, and 1 SB. He has cut his strikeout rate to 21% this year, which is a good sign. Larnach also has a good eye at the plate (10% BB), which helps keep his OBP above .320. He is also batting second against right-handed pitchers, which will help him accrue more counting stats than hitting at the bottom of the order. If he stays healthy, he should set a career-high in HR, R, and RBI. Larnach is better used in daily leagues but also has value in deeper mixed league formats.
SP Chris Paddack (MIN)- Chris Paddack was on his way out of the rotation, but he has given up 4 ER over his last 19. 1 IP with 4 BB and 11 K. It is still a volatile profile due to the lack of strikeouts, but he is still streamable in deeper mixed leagues. He gets the Guardians at home in his next start.
1B Jake Burger (TEX)- Jake Burger has started at first base in every game since being sent to Triple-A. In six games in the minors, he hit .391 with 2 HR, 5 R, 6 RBI, and 0 SB. He has a hit in every game since coming back up, including a double and a home run. He is coming off a 2024 season in which he hit .250 with 29 HR, so he has the ability to bounce back the rest of the season.
OF Daulton Varsho (TOR)- Daulton Varsho is hitting .229 with 6 HR, 9 R, 13 RBI, and 1 SB in 53 PA. He is hitting the ball hard (26% Barrels and 52% Hardhit) but swinging and missing a lot (39% K). The strikeout rate should come down, and his BABIP (.190) should come up. He is a 20 HR/10 SB player with a low batting average.
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