2 years agoMilwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Eric Lauer (elbow) received some good news after undergoing an MRI on his strained left elbow on Thursday. Lauer left his Wednesday start early, but said the early read was "encouraging" and that he'll undergo more tests on Friday after having another meeting with his doctor. It's still to be determined if the positive attitude means he'll avoid a long-term injury or just avoid an IL stint, but we should get more clarity of his situation on Friday or Saturday after more scans are completed. Lauer has pitched to a serviceable 3.91 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 10 wins and 138 K through 145 IP, and would be a tough loss to the rotation with teammate Freddy Peralta heading back to the IL.--Riley Mrack - RotoBallerSource: Adam McCalvy - Twitter

2 years agoMilwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell stated after Thursday's doubleheader that starting pitcher Freddy Peralta will be placed on the injured list after he left his start early with shoulder fatigue. Counsell mentioned that he had no new symptoms, but the fatigue was a continuation of what he's experienced in his recent outings. This trip to the IL could put a nail in the coffin of Peralta's 2022 campaign where he's tossed just 70 1/3 IP to a 3.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. An official move will be made on Friday, so managers who need the roster space down the stretch run can afford to cut ties with the 26-year-old.--Riley Mrack - RotoBallerSource: Adam McCalvy - Twitter

2 years agoNew York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (foot) pinch hit during Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Twins in his first game action since he fouled a ball of his foot on Monday. The slugger came in with a runner on third in the eighth, but ultimately struck out after a lengthy nine-pitch at-bat. When manager Aaron Boone was asked postgame about Stanton's availability for Friday's game he replied with an unsatisfying "we'll see." It wouldn't be a surprise to see him get another breather tomorrow night, but he should start at some point this weekend with the second-place Rays in town.--Riley Mrack - RotoBallerSource: Pete Caldera - Twitter

2 years agoAtlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (foot) went 0-for-3 in three plate appearances in his minor league rehab game for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday and is now 3-for-15 in four games played since starting his rehab assignment last week. Albies started the game at second base and hit leadoff for Gwinnett. The 25-year-old needs a lengthy rehab assignment since he hasn't played in the big leagues since June 13. Barring a setback, he should be back in Atlanta's everyday lineup by the middle of September. Albies won't have much time to produce for fantasy managers the rest of the way, but he should still be rostered everywhere. He was hitting .244/.289/.405 with eight homers, 33 RBI, 34 runs scored and three stolen bases in 242 at-bats before his injury.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - David O'Brien

2 years agoMilwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (shoulder) left his start early in the third inning on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants with right shoulder fatigue, according to the team. In his two innings before departing, Peralta didn't allow a run or a hit while walking two and striking out three. Given the fact that he already missed 10 weeks of the season with a right shoulder strain, there's a pretty good chance we won't see him again in 2022. Heading into Thursday's outing, the 26-year-old Dominican had gone 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA (3.07 FIP), a 1.02 WHIP, 73 strikeouts and 23 walks in 68 1/3 innings over 14 starts. Check back for more updates on Peralta's timetable, but fantasy managers should make plans for the worst-case scenario.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Bally Sports Wisconsin - Sophia Minnaert

2 years agoChicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has been feeling it lately, which was emphasized by his two-hit performance against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday in a 4-3 loss. He doubled, homered and scored two runs. Over his last 30 games, the 28-year-old rookie is slashing .297/.368/.468. Suzuki has had an up-and-down year overall but owns a respectable .264 batting average with 12 home runs, 44 RBI, 46 runs and eight stolen bases across 97 games. He offers fantasy managers a bit of everything, and they should be starting him in most formats.--Spencer Seguin - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoMilwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes looked like himself on Thursday when he went eight innings against the San Francisco Giants, giving up just one run on three hits. He struck out 14 batters and walked nobody en route to his 10th win of the season. Burnes struggled and gave up five runs in each of his last two starts prior to Thursday's contest. The right-hander is still putting up stellar numbers, though, with a 2.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 214 strikeouts over 172 innings. No matter if Burnes is in a slide or not, fantasy managers should start him every time he's out there.--Spencer Seguin - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoTampa Bay Rays infield prospect Curtis Mead (elbow, forearm) has been shut down for the rest of the season. Mead elected to receive an injection to help with his healing process, but it didn't make sense for him to return for the final 10 games in 2022. The 21-year-old is the club's top hitting prospect and is their No. 2 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He missed a month in the middle of the season and finished with a strong .298/.390/.532 slash line with a .922 OPS, 13 home runs, 50 RBI, 43 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 331 plate appearances over 76 combined games for Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham this year. With better health in 2023, there's a good chance that Mead will make his big-league debut for the Rays.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NBC Sports - Patrick Kinas

2 years agoWashington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (groin) was sent to the hospital on Thursday after leaving the game early against the St. Louis Cardinals with swollen testicles after getting hit with a foul ball. Ruiz initially remained in the game and went 1-for-3 at the plate, but he eventually departed the contest in the sixth inning. The Nationals are waiting for the 24-year-old before leaving town, but it remains to be seen if he'll have to miss any additional time heading into a weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies. If Ruiz misses extended time, Riley Adams and Tres Barrera would split time behind the plate for the Nats. Ruiz came into the day hitting .251/.312/.361 with seven long balls, 36 RBI, 33 runs scored and six stolen bases in 391 at-bats in his second year in D.C.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Roch Kubatko

2 years agoMinnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (hip) remains out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the New York Yankees. Kepler will miss his fourth straight game and remains day-to-day for now. The good news is that he's come off the bench in two of the team's last three games, so there's a good chance he'll be back in the starting lineup at some point this weekend against the Cleveland Guardians. Kyle Garlick is in right field on Thursday and is batting leadoff against Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes. Garlick will be a low-cost sleeper play in DFS out of the top spot in the batting order. He's hitting .277 (18-for-65) with six of his nine home runs against left-handed pitching this year.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

2 years agoOakland Athletics second baseman Tony Kemp (groin) is starting at second base and is hitting leadoff on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Dylan Cease. Kemp returns to the starting lineup after sitting out Wednesday with groin tightness. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should shuffle the 30-year-old back into their starting lineups as he looks to move his current hitting streak to 10 games. He's gone 11-for-37 (.297) with no homers, six RBI and seven runs scored during his nine-game hitting streak. Overall, Kemp is hitting .227/.300/.309 with four home runs, 34 RBI, 45 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 471 plate appearances and 124 games.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

2 years agoThe Detroit Tigers activated infielder Jonathan Schoop (ankle) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and recalled left-hander Joey Wentz from the minors. In corresponding moves, the team optioned right-hander Luis Castillo and infielder Josh Lester to Triple-A Toledo. Schoop initially landed on the injured list with a sprained ankle on Aug. 20. Expect him to return as the team's everyday second baseman for the start of a series against the Kansas City Royals on the road on Friday. Before his injury the 30-year-old veteran was hitting only .202/.235/.318 with nine home runs, 34 RBI, 40 runs scored and five stolen bases in 447 plate appearances and 115 games for the Tigers. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect much production from Schoop to close out the year.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tigers PR

2 years agoChicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert (hand, wrist) remains out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Oakland Athletics. Robert was hit by a pitch on Tuesday and suffered a bruised left hand, so he'll miss his second straight game Thursday. The 25-year-old was dealing with a wrist injury on the same hand before the hit by pitch, so it remains to be seen how quickly he can return to the field. In his absence, Adam Engel is starting in center field and batting ninth on Thursday against A's left-hander JP Sears. Engel does have a little speed (12 stolen bases), but the counting stats and power just aren't there for fantasy managers as a reserve outfielder. He's slashing just .229/.276/.322 with two homers, 14 RBI and 29 runs in 214 at-bats this year.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

2 years agoNew York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (foot) remains out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. Stanton will miss his third straight game after missing the entire doubleheader on Wednesday. Fantasy managers should consider the 32-year-old slugger to be day-to-day for now. With Stanton out again on Thursday, Miguel Andujar will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth against Twins right-hander Sonny Gray. Andujar is actually still searching for his first home run of the season. The 27-year-old Dominican only has 71 at-bats for the Yankees in 2022 and is hitting .225/.243/.254 with five RBI, seven runs scored and four stolen bases. He'll be a low-upside DFS target Thursday.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

2 years agoNew York Yankees right-handed reliever Lou Trivino (back) is dealing with back spasms, manager Aaron Boone said on Wednesday. Trivino said it's something he deals with about once a year, and it usually takes two or three days to clear up. With that said, it's unlikely that he'll be available out of the bullpen in the series finale against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, but he could pitch again at some point this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. Trivino has been excellent in 15 relief appearances since being acquired from the Oakland Athletics, allowing only an earned run on 10 hits while walking seven and striking out 12 in 13 1/3 innings.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch