2 years agoArizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte ended a home run drought in the 4-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday by going 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a strikeout. The round-tripper was Marte's first since July 27. The 28-year-old Dominican is now hitting .244/.325/.410 with the 11 home runs, 50 RBI, 63 runs scored and four stolen bases in 511 plate appearances over 125 games played. He's been a pretty big disappointment for fantasy managers since his 2019 All-Star season, in which he hit .329 and clubbed a career-high 32 home runs in 144 games. Marte is hitting just .182 (8-for-44) with a homer, five RBI, four runs scored and 11 strikeouts in 13 games this month.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a strikeout in the 4-0 shutout win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. The home run snapped a streak of 34 games without a long ball for the 28-year-old backstop. Kelly has found it tough sledding at the dish in 2022, hitting just .214/.297/.346 with seven home runs, 33 RBI, 36 runs scored and a stolen base in 266 at-bats for the Snakes. In the month of September, he's gone just 5-for-34 (.147) with a homer, two RBI, six runs scored and five strikeouts in 12 games. It's unlikely that Kelly will suddenly turn things around to finish the 2022 campaign.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoOakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, run scored and two strikeouts in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Houston Astros. Murphy is quickly becoming one of the better hitting catchers in the big leagues, as he currently sports a .253/.333/.443 slash line with 18 home runs, 33 doubles, 64 RBI, 61 runs scored and a stolen base in 479 at-bats over 132 games. He's been a bit cold in the month of September so far (.204 average with a homer and six RBI), but fantasy managers should keep riding him in their starting lineups the rest of the way. Murphy has gone 7-for-24 (.292) in his last six contests.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoOakland Athletics rookie first baseman Dermis Garcia went 1-for-4 on Thursday with two RBI and three strikeouts in the 5-2 loss to the Houston Astros. Garcia's two-RBI single in the fourth inning provided the only runs for the A's in the ballgame. He's now gone 17-for-59 (.288) with four home runs, 15 RBI and nine runs scored in his first 22 major-league games for the A's this year. Before being called up, the 24-year-old slashed .264/.349/.498 with an .847 OPS, 13 home runs, 44 RBI, 51 runs scored and four stolen bases in 278 plate appearances and 68 games with Triple-A Las Vegas. Garcia has proven to be a timely hitter so far for Oakland and could continue to contribute for fantasy managers in AL-only leagues down the stretch.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoColorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is not in the starting lineup on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Blackmon will take a seat after going 5-for-41 (.122) with no homers, four RBI, one run scored and 13 strikeouts in 11 games to begin the month of September. He's now hitting .258/.308/.412 on the year with 16 homers, 74 RBI, 57 runs scored and three stolen base in 493 at-bats. With Blackmon resting, Michael Toglia is in right field and hitting sixth, while Connor Joe will serve as the designated hitter and bat seventh against Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman. Toglia, a 24-year-old rookie switch-hitter, has gone just 11-for-50 (.220) with two long balls and eight RBI in his first 14 big-league games for the Rockies.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Press

2 years agoChicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa is not traveling with the team for their current road trip this weekend at the Detroit Tigers. The 77-year-old missed his 16th game of the year as he awaits medical clearance from his cardiologist to return to managing, and it remains uncertain whether he'll return for any of the team's last 18 games of the 2022 season. There is plenty of respect for La Russa, but there are also strong feelings that allowing bench coach Miguel Cairo to continue as acting manager through the rest of the season would be best for all involved. The White Sox are 11-5 under Cairo as the interim skipper and are playing with a level of urgency the front office has waited for all season.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen

2 years agoThe Atlanta Braves reinstated second baseman Ozzie Albies (foot) from the 60-day injured list on Friday. In corresponding moves, the club designated right-hander Jay Jackson for assignment and placed infielder Ehire Adrianza (quadriceps) on the 10-day injured list with a strained left quadriceps. Albies is finally back with the Braves after having surgery on July 15 for a broken right foot. The 25-year-old hit .333 with a home run, six RBI and four runs scored in seven minor league rehab games, and he should return to the starting lineup on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Albies will serve as the club's everyday second baseman in his return, pushing rookie Vaughn Grissom to more of a bench role.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Braves Twitter

2 years agoHouston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. had a nice night on the mound on Thursday as he struck out 11 batters in his club's 5-2 win over the Athletics. He unfortunately settled for a no-decision after allowing two runs on two hits and four walks over six innings of work, throwing 99 pitches in the sharp performance. McCullers only ran into trouble in the fourth inning when he loaded the bases before giving up a two-run single, but he would go on to retire the next eight batters he faced to end his night. The 28-year-old will take a 2.34 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 37 K through 34 2/3 IP into his next start versus the Rays next week.--Riley Mrack - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoNew York Mets starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco was superb on Thursday as he struck out 11 batters in his club's 7-1 win over the Pirates. The veteran allowed one run on four hits while walking a pair in the 104-pitch effort as he took his record to 15-6 on the season. Carrasco retired the last eight batters he faced with his only hiccup on the scoreboard coming off a Michael Chavis RBI double in the second inning. He now holds a serviceable 3.70 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 143 K through 141 IP in his bounce back season as he sets his sights on the Brewers in his next matchup.--Riley Mrack - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoCincinnati Reds reliever Alexis Diaz recorded his seventh save of the season on Thursday to close out his team's 3-2 win over the Cardinals. The 25-year-old did allow one run after loading the bases on a walk and two singles, but he limited the damage by allowing a sac fly to Albert Pujols before getting a groundout to end the game. Diaz has been getting some run as the team's closer in the latter part of the season, and for good reason since he's posted a strong 1.93 ERA and 0.96 WHIP through 56 IP in his rookie campaign.--Riley Mrack - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoMinnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober (groin) will be activated off the injured list to start Friday's game versus the Guardians with Jharel Cotton getting designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Ober hasn't pitched since June 1 after straining his groin, but he's pitched decent in his rehab starts in the minors. He got up to 66 pitches in his latest outing, so he should be stretched out enough to throw about 80 pitches. He'll be a risky fantasy play in his first start back in the majors, but managers could scoop him up and stash him for his start next week versus the Royals.--Riley Mrack - RotoBallerSource: Betsy Helfand - Twitter

2 years agoPittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher JT Brubaker threw just three innings during Thursday's start before getting removed with lat discomfort. The right-hander wasn't very sharp in the outing by giving up five runs on seven hits and two walks, but he was able to strike out five batters on the night. The team has yet to provide any further information of his injury, but with their season going nowhere, there was no need to push him any further. There's a good chance Brubaker misses his next scheduled start the Yankees next week, but look for the club to update his status within the next 24 hours.--Riley Mrack - RotoBallerSource: Mike Persak - Twitter

2 years agoTampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena had a three-hit game on Thursday when his team beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-0. He doubled, scored a run, and drove in one in five at-bats. Arozarena was in a minor slump before the game, going 3-for-24 over his previous six games. The speedster has been an all-around contributor again, hitting .268 with 19 HRs, 79 RBI, 66 runs, and 30 SBs over 138 games. His outstanding numbers make him a deserving starting outfielder across every format.--Spencer Seguin - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 years agoThe Arizona Diamondbacks selected the contract of right-hander Drey Jameson from Triple-A Reno on Thursday, and he will make his major-league debut in a start against the San Diego Padres. In a corresponding move, the team placed left-hander Kyle Nelson (elbow) on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. Jameson, the club's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, went a combined 7-13 with a 6.31 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 132 strikeouts and 46 walks in 132 2/3 innings over 26 outings (25 starts) for Double-A Amarillo and Reno this year. The 25-year-old went 5-12 with a 6.95 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in his 22 outings (21 starts) at Reno. We don't recommend streaming the youngster in his MLB debut against the Friars.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Diamondbacks Twitter

2 years agoLos Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Yency Almonte (elbow) threw 25 pitches of live batting practice to infielder Gavin Lux (neck) on Wednesday. Almonte looked good during the session and could be ready to rejoin the Dodgers bullpen sooner than later. However, the 28-year-old will throw at least one more simulated game before potentially going on a minor league rehab assignment. In his first year in LA, Almonte has been excellent in his 31 1/3 relief innings, posting a career-low 1.15 ERA (3.27 FIP), a 0.89 WHIP, one save and a 30:10 K:BB.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Orange County Register - Bill Plunkett