MLB News

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced during his pre-game press conference on Monday that shortstop Oneil Cruz will start seeing time in center field. The Pirates haven't released their starting lineup for Monday's contest against the division-rival Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, but fantasy managers should expect the change to take effect immediately. It means that Cruz's already high fantasy value will be further boosted when he eventually gains outfield eligibility. With Cruz moving to center field, the Bucs plan to use Isiah Kiner-Falefa as their starting shortstop and Nick Gonzales as their starting second baseman the rest of the way in 2024. The 25-year-old Cruz has never played in a professional game in center field before. If the Pirates choose to ease Cruz into his new position, on days he's not in center field, he's expected to serve as the designated hitter.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (calf, hamstring) was pulled early from Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field with a left-calf/hamstring cramp. Ragans was pulled in the fifth inning after giving up a walk to open the frame. The 26-year-old southpaw went four innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits while walking four and striking out four. He didn't make it long enough to qualify for a victory in the team's 4-3 win. Although we don't know for sure yet, it doesn't seem like Ragans' injury is serious enough to keep him from making his next start for the Royals. His poor command in this one could have been attributed his calf/hamstring injury. Ragans has been a solid fantasy starter in all formats in 2024, as he came into Monday's game 10-8 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 183 K's in 152 1/3 innings over his 26 starts. UPDATE: Manager Matt Quatraro said Ragans is "fine" after he cramped up. The Royals were about to pull him from the game anyway, and there are no concerns health-wise about Ragans.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitching prospect Chad Patrick had an impressive performance on Sunday for Triple-A Nashville, earning his 12th win of the year. Facing the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp for the second time in the series, the 26-year-old right-hander threw six shutout innings and struck out eight batters, allowing four hits and no walks. Through 116 1/3 innings, Patrick has posted a 3.02 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 114:34 K/BB. If he continues to impress in the minors, there's a chance the Brewers will give him a shot to prove himself in the majors, but there is no ETA as it currently stands.

Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Owen Caissie went 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs on Sunday for Triple-A Iowa. Overall, Caissie has been solid this year in Triple-A, slashing .268/.368/.455 with 23 doubles, 15 homers, 60 RBI, nine stolen bases, and 59:128 BB/SO. In the Cubs' stacked farm system, he's currently ranked No. 3, behind only Matt Shaw and Cade Horton (per MLB.com). At just 22 years old, Caissie is expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2025.

During his last two games, Chicago White Sox shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery went 5-for-9 with a double and a home run for Triple-A Charlotte. Overall, Montgomery has struggled at the plate this season. Through 106 games, he's slashing .210/.328/.375 with 17 doubles, 14 homers, 50 RBI, seven stolen bases, and 56:137 BB/SO. Despite his woes, Montgomery is the No. 2 prospect in Chicago's farm system (per MLB.com) and could make his MLB debut by the end of this season.

Over the weekend, Toronto Blue Jays outfield prospect Alan Roden went 8-for-13 (.615 AVG) with two doubles for Triple-A Buffalo. Roden has been on a tear in August (84 PA), slashing .378/.441/.622 with seven doubles, a triple, three home runs, 15 RBI, and 9:11 BB/SO. Overall, he has an .825 OPS this season between Double-A and Triple-A. Toronto's No. 13 prospect (per MLB.com), Roden (24) will likely make his MLB debut at some point next season.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher/outfield prospect Dalton Rushing went 1-for-4 with a solo home run on Sunday for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Rushing was promoted to Triple-A earlier this month, where he's since gone 20-for-62 (.323 AVG) with four doubles, three homers, 10 RBI, and 13:13 BB/SO. Overall, he's been outstanding through 95 games this season, slashing .280/.392/.516 with 20 home runs and 69 RBI. Currently the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect (per MLB.com), Rushing is expected to make his MLB debut next season.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (neck) was out of the starting lineup for the third straight game on Sunday, but there's a strong chance he'll play in Monday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, according to manager Joe Espada. Alvarez is hitting .306 with 25 home runs and 67 RBI this year and is riding an 18-game on-base streak, during which he's batting .364 with five home runs. He's also hitting .352 with 17 home runs and a 1.123 OPS on the road this season. Fantasy managers will want to check to see if the 27-year-old is back in Monday's lineup. If he is, even in a tough matchup against right-hander Zack Wheeler, Alvarez needs to be returned to all starting fantasy lineups. Alvarez has two hits in two career at-bats against Wheeler.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Sunday that "there is nothing new to report" about outfielder Kyle Tucker's (shin) progress back in Houston after he didn't accompany the team on their two-city, seven-game road trip. General manager Dana Brown remains bullish that Tucker could return in the first week of September, but September starts in six days, and Espada confirmed that Tucker is still not sprinting at full speed, nor has he tested himself running the bases. Until he does, a minor-league rehab assignment won't be realistic. Brown has already said Tucker will have to manage some amount of pain upon his return, so fantasy managers that have been waiting all this time for Tucker's return shouldn't just expect him to return to his All-Star self. That Tucker continues to take batting practice and throw without issues is encouraging, though.

The Houston Astros pulled relief pitcher Penn Murfee (elbow) off his minor-league rehab assignment late last week. Murfee had Tommy John surgery last July, and while the Astros were hopeful he could contribute to its bullpen depth this season, there were no concrete expectations. He experienced what the team described as "a reoccurrence of right-elbow discomfort" after one outing for Single-A Fayetteville. Murfee is now the fifth Astros pitcher this year to suffer a setback while rehabbing from an arm injury, joining Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy. The 30-year-old Murfee has been rehabbing from his Tommy John surgery all year and is now unlikely to pitch at all in 2024, even if the Astros make a deep postseason run.

The Kansas City Royals placed left-handed reliever William Smith (back) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with lower-back spasms and recalled right-hander Carlos Hernandez from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. The 35-year-old veteran southpaw had been terrible of late, and this explains why. In his last five appearances out of the bullpen since Aug. 9, he surrendered 14 earned runs on 12 hits (three home runs) while walking two and striking out five over just 4 2/3 innings pitched. The brutal stretch raised his season ERA to 6.53 and his WHIP to 1.45. Smith has gone 0-4 this year for the Royals and has only picked up one save while striking out only 29 and walking 15 hitters in 41 1/3 total innings for work. He brings plenty of experience to KC's bullpen (114 career saves), but he can remain on the waiver wire in all fantasy leagues.

The Boston Red Sox selected the contract of right-hander Brad Keller from Triple-A Worcester on Monday and designated pitcher Joely Rodriguez for assignment in a corresponding move. The Red Sox recently re-signed Keller to a minor-league deal after he previously rejected an assignment to Triple-A. The 29-year-old now finds himself back in the big leagues late in the 2024 season, where he'll likely serve in a low-leverage bullpen role for the BoSox. Keller began the year pitching for the Chicago White Sox before joining Boston. In his 10 relief appearances (20 2/3 innings) for the Red Sox in 2024, he hasn't been very good, allowing 13 earned runs on 24 hits (three home runs) while striking out 17 and walking seven. Fantasy managers in all formats can continue to avoid him.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer (back), the team's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, is likely to miss the rest of the season. Mayer, 21, hasn't played since leaving a game with Double-A on July 30 and proved unable to rehab to the point of playing following his promotion to Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 13. Further medical evaluation led to a diagnosis of a lumbar strain. He has now left the WooSox to rehab in Florida, and his season is likely done, according to a major-league source. It's a disappointing end to what had been a great season for Mayer, as he hit .307/.370/.480 with eight homers, 36 extra-base hits and 13 steals while providing strong defense at short for the Sea Dogs. However, his durability is now in question, as this marks the second straight year the 2021 first-rounder has been unable to play 80 games after being shut down in August of last year with a shoulder impingement.

The Cleveland Guardians recalled left-handed pitching prospect Joey Cantillo from Triple-A Columbus on Monday, and he's expected to appear in Game 1 of the team's doubleheader against the division-rival Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Right-hander Nick Sandlin is getting the starting nod on the bump, but Cantillo, the team's No. 17 prospect per MLB Pipeline, could serve in a bulk-relief role. In Cantillo's first four big-league starts, he went 0-3 with an 8.47 ERA and 1.76 WHIP while striking out 14 and waking nine in 17 innings pitched. Fantasy managers would be wise to avoid the 24-year-old southpaw in his first major-league appearance since Aug. 21, especially with a tough matchup against the Royals on tap. Cantillo is expected to be sent back to Columbus after the team's twin bill on Monday.

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Justin Martinez collected his sixth save of the season on Sunday, closing out the Boston Red Sox in a 7-5 victory. Martinez allowed a solo homer to Tyler O'Neill but didn't allow another baserunner and came away with the save. It appears that the 23-year-old is in control of the D-Backs closer role for now, as he has six saves since August 5 and no one else on the team has one. He is a must-roster player in any league where saves count and should be able to hold onto the job as long as he limits walks.

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres had a solid showing on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI in a 10-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. Torres hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to put this one away. It was a sorely needed confidence boost for the 27-year-old, who last homered on July 24. This year has been a struggle for Torres, who hasn't come close to matching his preseason expectations. That being said, he is hitting leadoff ahead of Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton, which is about the best situation possible for a hitter. If he can get hot, he could put up a ton of counting stats in a hurry.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Gavin Stone had another very good outing on Sunday, tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Tampa Bay Rays. Stone recorded seven strikeouts while allowing just three hits and two walks. After a rough stretch in July and early August, Stone has turned things around in his last three starts, allowing just two runs over 19 IP. He's been a bit confounding this year, as his stuff and underlying metrics don't really support the good numbers, but there is no doubt he's been a solid fantasy pitcher. It is worth noting that two of his last three starts came against bad offenses, and he may still have some blowups, but he is verging on must-start status once again.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez continued to swing a hot bat on Sunday, going 4-for-4 with his 20th homer in a 7-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. Suarez added three RBIs and two runs to a stellar overall line. The 33-year-old took Tanner Houck deep in the sixth with two men aboard, putting the D-backs on top for good in this one. Suarez has been very good since the calendar flipped to July, launching 14 homers and driving in 47 runs in 47 games since then. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues while he's swinging the stick so well, and his owners should hope that he can carry it through the rest of the season.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo had another excellent start on Sunday, pitching seven innings of one-run ball against the San Francisco Giants. Woo allowed just four hits and didn't walk a batter in this one. He also collected seven strikeouts and generated 16 whiffs, 12 of which came on his fastball. When he's been healthy, Woo has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, pitching to a stellar 2.05 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. While those ratios will likely increase, Woo should be able to maintain very good numbers based on his ability to generate weak contact. He is a must-start pitcher in fantasy.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman was sharp on Sunday, allowing just one run over seven innings against the Los Angeles Angels. Gausman was dominant in this one, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 and walking none. He collected 20 whiffs on 94 pitches, including 10 on his fastball and five on his splitter. Things are trending up for the 33-year-old, who has allowed four or fewer earned runs in nine consecutive starts, a stretch that also includes five quality starts and six wins. While he still isn't the Gausman of old, it looks like he will be a solid starter down the stretch for fantasy purposes.