Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager went 1-for-4 with a solo home run against Cleveland Friday night. The big fly came in the first inning against starter Aaron Civale. Seager now has eight homers on the year, three of which have come in his last seven games. He's slashing .233/.296/.473 on the season, with 27 home runs. He may not contribute much in the batting average/on-base or steals departments, but he's a plus in all other categories, and represents a very stable fantasy asset.
Seattle Mariners second baseman Dylan Moore went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored on Friday night against Cleveland, and he also added his seventh stolen base of the year. After a difficult start to the year, it seemed that Moore could begin to lose playing time any day, and yet he's turned things around significantly with a 1.093 OPS over the last seven days. If he can get anything going with the bat, his speed gives him an excellent fantasy skill set. The window for fantasy managers to buy low could be closing, so look to add Moore now if you can.
Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger hit his eleventh home run of the year Friday night, moving him into a tie with Jose Ramirez for the American League lead. Haniger has been outstanding thus far, with 11 homers, 29 RBI, and 26 runs scored. He figures to have even more RBI opportunities going forward batting in the two-spot behind Jarred Kelenic. He's an excellent fantasy play going forward.
Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic had a series of firsts Friday night. His first major league hit came in the form of a two-run home run, and he also recorded two more doubles in the contest, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Batting in the leadoff spot once again, Kelenic showed off the time of impact he can make, both for the Mariners are fantasy managers alike. If somehow Kelenic has not been added from the waiver wire, fantasy managers have to strike immediately before the window of opportunity closes.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Chris Flexen was credited with a win Friday night after throwing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball against Cleveland. He allowed five hits and one walk and struck one none. Flexen has a very solid 3.78 ERA through six starts and 33 1/3 innings, but he has only struck out two batters total over his last three starts, which will severely limit his fantasy value. He's a solid streaming option in the right matchups, and he'll look to continue his strong return to MLB in his next start, currently expected to be against the Padres.
New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (quad) is considered day-to-day with left quad tightness. Stanton was scratched from Friday's lineup due to the ailment, which he first felt during the series finale against the Rays- and again during pregame warmups. Manager Aaron Boone said that the slugger could be "down a couple of days" but that the Yankees aren't concerned about it being a long-term issue. Fantasy managers can likely breathe a sigh of relief, though it's still a good idea to monitor reports in the coming days, given Stanton's lengthy injury history.
New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela didn't start in Friday's victory over the Orioles, but made an impact off the bench with his bat. Urshela entered as a pinch hitter for Tyler Wade in the seventh inning and put together a great at-bat, working a 2-2 count and fouling off four pitches before depositing the ninth pitch of the at-bat into the right-field seats for a three-run homer that gave New York the lead. Urshela told reporters postgame that he felt way better with his knee and that he expects to be in the lineup for Saturday's contest. That's good news for fantasy managers, as he is having a fine season, batting .298 with five homers and 19 RBI.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk in a 5-4 win over Baltimore. Both of Judge's homers were key hits for the Yankees, as each one gave them the lead. All three of Judge's batted balls from Friday's game registered exit velocities of 100 MPH or greater, as good a sign as any that the slugger has busted out of his recent slump. Judge is 8-for-14 with three dingers in his last four games- and is officially on fire at the dish. He'll get a good matchup on Saturday against Orioles' right-hander Jorge Lopez, who has a 5.63 ERA in 2021.
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Steven Matz shutout the Phillies bats over five innings on Friday, but was stuck with a no-decision since the club's own bats fell silent. The lefty allowed four hits and three walks while striking out nine in the 106-pitch effort, which marked the first time all season he threw triple-digit pitches in a game. Matz lowered his ERA to a modest 4.29 with a 1.29 WHIP and 46 punchouts in 42 IP on the campaign, making him mostly a streaming option in 12-team leagues. However, he won't be on the streaming radar when he takes the mound in his next scheduled start versus the Red Sox.
New York Yankees relief pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga notched his second save of the season in Friday's 5-4 win over the Orioles. Loaisiga entered the game in the ninth with a one-run lead and made it looked easy, needing just six pitches to shut the door on the Orioles. The 26-year-old doesn't figure to see many save chances with Aroldis Chapman looking dominant, though the latter had pitched two days in a row this week and was likely tabbed for a rest day. After giving up four runs to the Nationals on May 7, Loaisiga has turned in three scoreless innings and is back on track.
