MLB News

Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes will take a seat on Saturday afternoon and will cede catching duties to Jhonny Pereda. Fortes has started in each of the past two games. Since the start of the month, Fortes has carried a solid .274/.329/.419 line with six doubles and one home run. Pereda rejoined the major league roster earlier this month and has gone just 5-for-22 throughout September. Fantasy managers should expect Fortes to be behind the dish in the final game of the regular season on Sunday. Pereda should not be considered in DFS formats this afternoon as he will face Toronto right-hander Yariel Rodriguez.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (ankle) is returning to the starting nine on Saturday afternoon as the Cubs continue a three-game set with the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. Suzuki was kept sidelined over the past two games due to a minor ankle injury but will be back in action on Saturday. Since the start of the month, the 30-year-old has been swinging a hot bat with a .316/.438/.468 slash line with two home runs and six doubles. Suzuki has enjoyed another strong campaign in his third major-league season with a solid .281/.361/.482 line, 21 long balls, and 16 stolen bases. Suzuki will likely be drafted within the top 20 at his position due to his ability to contribute to all five standard categories.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitching prospect Mike Burrows is being promoted to the major league roster. In a corresponding move, the Pirates demoted right-hander Jared Jones to the Florida Complex League as he made his final start of the season on Friday evening. Burrows has spent the entire season at Triple-A Indianapolis and posted a 4.06 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, with a 15:45 BB:K ratio. The 24-year-old is not projected to start on Saturday or Sunday but could be deployed out of the bullpen over the weekend. Fantasy managers should expect Burrows to compete for a spot on the major league roster during spring training.

Chicago Cubs third baseman Isaac Paredes is not in the starting nine on Saturday afternoon as the Cubs continue a three-game set with the Cincinnati Reds. Paredes has started in each of the past five games and will take a day off. As a result, Patrick Wisdom will cover the hot corner and bat in the eight-hole. Since the start of September, the former Ray has begun to heat up at the plate with a strong .289/.374/.316 line. Since joining the Cubs at the trade deadline, Paredes has carried a .223/.324/.309 slash line. Wisdom will face Cincinnati's top pitching prospect, Rhett Lowder, this afternoon, who has held a strong 1.40 ERA.

Minnesota Twins first baseman/third baseman Jose Miranda (back) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday afternoon, which will sideline him for the remainder of the 2024 season with the Twins eliminated from the playoff picture. Miranda was scratched from Thursday's lineup with a back injury and remained sidelined on Friday evening. In a corresponding move, the Twins promoted infielder Michael Helman. Miranda had a solid 2024 campaign as he posted a .284/.322/.441 line with nine home runs. This was a significant improvement over the .211 AVG he held last season. The 26-year-old was one of the best hitters in the sport during July as he held an incredible .439/.477/.634 slash line. Fantasy managers should view Miranda as a depth corner infield option heading into the 2025 campaign.

Seattle Mariners interim manager Dan Wilson said that right-hander Emerson Hancock will be called up from the minors to start Saturday's contest at T-Mobile Park against the division-rival Oakland Athletics, and right-hander Logan Gilbert will take the ball for the season finale on Sunday. The rotation decisions for the team's final two games of the season -- they were eliminated from postseason contention on Friday -- mean that right-hander Bryce Miller won't make another start in 2024. The 26-year-old had a breakout campaign in his second year in the big leagues, going 12-8 with a shiny 2.94 ERA (3.58 FIP), a 0.98 WHIP, 171 strikeouts and 45 walks in 31 starts (180 1/3 innings). He'll cost a pretty penny in fantasy drafts next spring. Hancock, on the other hand, has been very inconsistent and is sporting a 4.72 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with only 36 K's in 55 1/3 frames.

The San Francisco Giants will not start left-hander Blake Snell on Saturday at Oracle Park versus the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Instead, right-hander Tristan Beck will get the nod in the penultimate game of the 2024 season. The Giants were coy about the decision all week, but there wasn't a lot of upside for Snell, who will once again be a free agent this winter after opting out of his contract with San Fran. The 31-year-old National League Cy Young winner in 2023 with the Padres signed with the Giants late this spring and then was injured quickly. He eventually bounced back, though, and as usual pitched better in the second half. In his 20 starts in 2024, Snell went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA (2.42 FIP), a 1.05 WHIP and a 145:44 K:BB in 104 innings pitched. He will have plenty of suitors on the free-agent market because of his dominant 30.2% career strikeout rate.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jonatan Clase and infielder Leo Jimenez will both start on the bench on Saturday against the visiting Miami Marlins at Rogers Centre. Fellow rookie Joey Loperfido will make the start in center field and will bat ninth, while Ernie Clement starts at the 6 and bats sixth against Marlins right-hander Xzavion Curry. Clase came to the Blue Jays via trade at the deadline at the end of July from the Mariners and has looked good in the early going in his six games with the team, going 6-for-16 (.375) with a homer, double and to RBI. However, the 22-year-old will take a seat after going hitless in four at-bats on Friday with two strikeouts. Jimenez has been forced into plenty of playing time in 2024 in his rookie campaign due to Bo Bichette's injuries and has slashed .229/.329/.358 with only four home runs and 19 RBI in 63 games played. Clement will be a low-upside DFS sleeper for Saturday's action.

Detroit Tigers outfielder/infielder Matt Vierling and rookie shortstop Trey Sweeney are both out for Saturday's contest at Comerica Park against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. The Tigers are resting a few players after clinching their first postseason berth on Friday in 10 seasons. Rookie Jace Jung is making the start at third base for Detroit and batting seventh, while Zach McKinstry is starting at shortstop and hitting eighth against White Sox right-hander Sean Burke. Vierling, 28, has been a lineup mainstay for the Tigers in his second year with the team in 2024 and has been a big reason for their success this year. He enters Saturday's contest hitting .258 (133-for-515) with a career-high 16 homers, a career-high 57 RBI and six steals in 143 games played. Jung is still searching for his first MLB homer and has gone 19-for-77 (.247) with three RBI and 29 K's in his first 32 games in 2024 with Detroit.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Beau Brieske will serve as the team's opener for Saturday's contest against the division-rival Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park, a day after the club clinched their first postseason berth in 10 years on Friday night. This will be Brieske's 12th start of the year for Detroit. The 26-year-old has gone 4-4 on the year with a 3.56 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 68 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings over 45 appearances (11 starts). His last start came on Sept. 14 against the Baltimore Orioles, when he went just one inning, walking two and striking out one. Brieske is only expected to go an inning or two in the second game of the series before being replaced by a bulk reliever, so we wouldn't recommend using him as a streamer in any fantasy formats. In his 11 starts in 2024, Brieske has gone only 14 2/3 innings, allowing nine runs (eight earned) while walking 11 and fanning 17.

Chicago White Sox outfielder/designated hitter Gavin Sheets, infielder Nicky Lopez and catcher Korey Lee are all out on Saturday against the division-rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Bryan Ramos will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth, Zach DeLoach will play right field and bat second, Jacob Amaya will start at the 6 and bat ninth, and Chuckie Robinson will do the catching and hit eighth against Tigers right-handed opener Beau Brieske. Even though the team is facing a right-handed pitcher, Sheets will take a seat after going 1-for-22 in his last seven games. Ramos comes in hitting just .185 (17-for-92) with two home runs and eight RBI on the year for the Pale Hose. DeLoach is slashing .217/.288/.350 with only one home run and five RBI in his 60 at-bats in 2024. We don't recommend any of these options from Chicago for DFS lineups, even against a Tigers team that could be hungover after clinching their first playoff berth in 10 years on Friday.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (rib cage) remains out of the action for Saturday's tilt at Comerica Park against the division-rival Detroit Tigers. Robert will be missing his second straight game due to soreness in his rib cage. It remains to be seen if he'll be feeling good enough to give it a go in the season finale on Sunday. Dominic Fletcher will make another start in center field and will hit seventh against Tigers right-handed opener Beau Brieske. Fletcher, 27, should be avoided as a deep sleeper in DFS lineups with his .209/.258/.260 slash line on the year in 215 at-bats. He has cleared the fences just once and driven in 16 on the year. If Robert doesn't play again this year, the Cuban slugger will finish with a .224/.279/.381 slash line with a weak .661 OPS, 14 home runs, 35 RBI and 22 stolen bases in his 388 at-bats. The 27-year-old was a first-time All-Star in 2023 when he hit a career-high 38 homers, but that is looking like an outlier.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen is out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. With McCutchen out, Bryan Reynolds is serving as the DH and batting second, while Billy Cook makes the start in left field and is hitting in the nine-hole against Yankees right-hander Luis Gil. McCutchen could use a day off with the season about to wrap up, as he's gone hitless in his last 11 at-bats with four strikeouts in three games played. The five-time All-Star and former MVP is batting only .232 (104-for-448) in his 16th year in the league, but he has reached the 20-homer mark for the first time since 2021 and has provided 50 RBI in his 120 games played for the Bucs. Reynolds clubbed two homers at Yankee Stadium on Friday night and will be a popular DFS pick against Gil, even though he has never faced him in his career. Cook has gone 9-for-41 (.220) with two homers in his first 14 MLB games this year.

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang went 3-for-4 in Friday's 8-4 win over the Mets, including a double, an RBI, three runs scored, and three stolen bases. The 24-year-old had a strong start to the season, slashing .277/.341/.390 but faded in the second half, slashing .219/.277/.288. His penchant for stealing bases kept his fantasy value afloat, finishing with 50 on the year, good for third-most in all of baseball. With a first-round draft pick pedigree and an 88.0% contact rate, there could be even more productive seasons ahead, but for now the Brewers will hope he can make an impact during the postseason.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley tossed six innings of shutout ball in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Red Sox, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven on the way to earning his eighth win of the season. It caps off an up-and-down season for the righty, as he had a nine-game stretch where he pitched to a 0.82 ERA in the middle of the season, but allowed four runs or more on eight other occasions. Still, his final 4.11 ERA and 1.22 WHIP were improvements over 2023, and his 3.69 SIERA might offer a ray of hope for next season's fantasy prospects as the 10.04 K/9 ability should remain intact.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon tossed seven innings of shutout ball in Friday's 1-0 victory over the Reds, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out two. The outing was his fifth consecutive quality start and caps off an outstanding month of September for the 32-year-old, going 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. It was a solid season overall for the veteran, going 12-8 with a 3.27 ERA (4.29 SIERA), 1.13 WHIP, and a 13.6% K-BB%. The underwhelming strikeout totals depress his fantasy stock a bit, but he should be a decent back-end rotation piece for fantasy next season.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani continued his extraordinary 2024 campaign on Friday, going 4-for-5 with his 54th home run of the season and stealing his 57th bag in an 11-4 win over the Rockies. The 30-year-old also doubled, drove in four runs, and scored twice. The Japanese star is scorching-hot at the plate right now, currently riding a 10-game hit streak during which time he's gone 26-for-44 (.591) with six doubles, seven home runs, 22 RBI, 15 runs scored, and nine stolen bases. There aren't many superlatives left to describe Ohtani's season, as he's amassed a .309-54-130-133-57 line with a .432 wOBA and 182 wRC+, making him the top-scoring fantasy asset this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs -- one from each side of the plate for the switch-hitter -- in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees. The 29-year-old collected three RBI in the contest, walked once, and scored twice as well. The home runs ended a long 21-game homerless stretch and gave him 24 on the year. With two games to go, the 2x All-Star will finish with strikingly similar results for the fourth consecutive season, logging a .276-24-88-72-10 line with a .344 wOBA and 118 wRC+, making him one of the game's more reliable multi-category producers.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (back) left Friday night's game early against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field due to back spasms, according to the team. Alvarez looked to be in considerable pain after sliding into third base in the seventh inning and was replaced by Luis Torrens. Before leaving, he went 0-for-1 at the plate with two walks, a run scored and a strikeout. The 22-year-old backstop was helped off the field by trainers and probably isn't going to be ready to play in Game 2 of the series on Saturday. It's a terrible time for one of the Mets' better players to get hurt as they seek one of the last two wild-card spots in the National League. Torrens would become the primary catcher for the Mets if Alvarez needs more time off. Overall, it's been a disappointing season for Alvarez in 2024 after he hit 25 bombs and drove in 63 in 2023. This year, he's hitting .234 with only 11 homers and 44 RBI in his 96 games played. After two more games in Milwaukee this weekend, the Mets face the division-rival Braves on Monday in a doubleheader that could decide the final wild-card team.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) will come off the injured list to start for the team on Saturday at Truist Park against the Kansas City Royals. Lopez has been a first-time All-Star in his return to a starting role in his first year in Atlanta in 2024. He's gone 8-5 with a career-best 2.03 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 24 total starts, but he's dealt with injuries in the second half and has only made seven starts since the All-Star break as the Braves have looked to limit his innings down the stretch. In his seven starts since the All-Star break, he's posted a still-strong 2.45 ERA with 42 K's and eight walks in 33 innings. The 30-year-old hasn't pitched since Sept. 10 due to right-shoulder inflammation, so we shouldn't expect him to be able to go deep in Saturday's start as the Braves continue their trek to try and get the final wild-card spot in the National League. Fantasy managers still playing for something this weekend would be rolling the dice throwing Lopez out there after his layoff with not even a minor-league rehab start to get tuned up.