MLB News

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored in Friday's 8-7 win over the Rockies. Steer was back at first base for the fourth straight game after opening the season exclusively as a DH, and has gone 5-for-17 (.294) over that time. Perhaps more importantly, he's struck out just once in his last 20 plate appearances (5.0 percent) after striking out 18 times in his first 59 PA (30.5 percent). After back-to-back 20-home run campaigns, hopefully Friday's home run gets the right-handed hitter going. The Reds get another shot at the Rockies in Colorado on Saturday against Antonio Senzatela, and although Steer has no matchup history with the pitcher, the righty sports a 4.81 ERA and 1.93 WHIP, making all of Cincinnati's hitters viable DFS options.

Miami Marlins catcher Agustin Ramirez kept on hitting on Friday, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI, and a run scored in the 8-4 win over the Mariners. The home run was his first, and it marked the third consecutive multi-hit performance to begin his big league career. Not only that, the 23-year-old has drawn two free passes and has yet to strike out in 12 plate appearances. The Marlins' fourth-ranked prospect is making good on the promise he showed in the minors and is looking like a fantasy stud so far, now 7-for-10 (.700) with five of the seven hits going for extra bases. The Dominican backstop has also stolen a base, somewhat of a rarity for catchers, and is eligible at both C and 1B on Yahoo!, making him all the more appealing. His rostership stands at 31 percent, but is worth a roster spot in all formats until he proves otherwise.

Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson continued his hot start with a 3-for-4 night at the plate in a 6-5 win over the White Sox on Friday, smacking his third home run of the year and collecting two RBI in the contest. The former first-rounder has now hit safely in 23 of the first 25 games, slashing a robust .347/.354/.500 with a .374 wOBA and a 149 wRC+. With a low 5.1 percent strikeout rate and 91.5 percent contact rate, expect the right-handed hitter to continue to put the bat on the ball, and hitting at Sutter Health Park may even provide a little more power than fantasy managers were expecting. The 23-year-old is putting together a strong case for AL Rookie of the Year, and can continue to be used in both season-long and DFS formats.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes dominated the Dodgers on Friday, throwing six-and-a-third innings of scoreless ball, scattering five hits while walking none and striking out nine on his way to earning the win in the 3-0 victory. That makes three consecutive quality starts for the righty and four quality starts out of six, now with a 3-2 record to go along with a 2.39 ERA (1.70 FIP), 0.80 WHIP, and a pristine 24.6 percent K-BB%. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year's next start lines up with the Cubs at home next week, which should be a tough test as Chicago is averaging the highest runs per game in all of baseball to start the year, with the fourth-highest team batting average against right-handed pitching.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz silenced San Diego's bats on Friday, tossing seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six in a tight 1-0 win over the Padres. Baz has had just one hiccup so far this season, which came in his last start against the Yankees, where he allowed five earned runs, but the other four appearances have been quality starts. The righty is now 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA (3.19 xFIP), 0.99 WHIP, and a phenomenal 23.7 percent K-BB% over 29 1/3 IP. The former first-round draft pick's next start will come at home against Kansas City next week, a team that doesn't strike out much but has produced the second-fewest runs per game so far this season.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run, four RBI, and a run scored in Friday's 11-4 win over the Angels. It was the left-handed hitter's fourth home run of the season, all of which have come in the last seven games after going homer-less in his first 18 contests. The former first-round draft pick is coming off a 15-home run campaign in 2024 after playing a career-high 112 games, and if he can stay in the lineup a bit more in 2025, he's on track to set a new career high in home runs. Through 25 games, the 6-foot-3 slugger is slashing .224/.330/.388 with 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, and a stolen base with a .320 wOBA and 110 wRC+. Unfortunately, Larnach is a career .195 hitter versus left-handed pitching, so he will typically sit against them and can be a frustrating season-long fantasy asset, however, continue to pencil him into DFS lineups against righties while he's hot.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck went 2-for-3 with two home runs and two walks in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Beck blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning for his first homer of the game. He later belted another solo shot in the eighth inning to make it a one-run ball game. Beck's second home run of the game was a towering blast that traveled 437 feet at 107.2 mph. The 24-year-old has now homered five times over his last three games. He is hitting a robust .667 (6-for-9) with five home runs, five RBI, and a stolen base during that three-game span. Overall, Beck is slashing .282/.391/.718 with five home runs, nine RBI, nine runs, and four stolen bases across 15 games. Beck continues to start with Brenton Doyle (personal) out, and fantasy managers should continue to roll with him while he's swinging a hot bat.

New York Yankees reliever Devin Williams allowed three runs on two hits in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He did not record an out and was tagged with his second loss of the season. The 30-year-old entered Friday's game in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. Williams was shaky right off the bat, allowing a leadoff single to George Springer, hitting Andres Gimenez with a pitch, and allowing a two-run double to Alejandro Kirk. He surrendered an RBI single to Addison Barger before being removed from the game. Williams was charged with his first blown save of the season and owns an 11.25 ERA, 2.38 WHIP, and eight strikeouts over eight innings. After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked if Williams would remain the closer. "We'll see," Boone said when asked if Williams would benefit from moving to lower leverage situations. "We'll kind of talk through this stuff. This is raw right now. We want to do everything we can to get him right because we know how good he is and how valuable he is going to be from us." Williams has struggled and could benefit from temporarily being removed from the closer role until he gets things right. Luke Weaver would be the biggest beneficiary and handle ninth-inning duties until the Yankees are ready to return to Williams. Fantasy managers searching for saves should add Weaver in all league formats.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (2-3) allowed three hits and a walk while striking out eight across eight scoreless innings in Friday's 2-0 win over the Houston Astros. He picked up his second win of the season. The 35-year-old was efficient on Friday, needing just 94 pitches for eight innings of work. He landed 65 of 94 pitches for strikes and posted a season-high eight strikeouts to secure his second win of the year. The veteran right-hander has allowed just two runs or less in each of his last five starts. Overall, Lugo owns a 3.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 29:12 K:BB across 38 innings in 2025. He will look to build on Friday's impressive performance in his next scheduled start on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (forearm) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday. He felt fine after playing catch during pregame warmups on Friday. The 28-year-old was removed from Tuesday's start early due to forearm soreness after just 58 pitches. He is not scheduled for an MRI or additional testing and could avoid being on the injured list altogether. Sanchez will not make his next start against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, and it is to be determined when he will take the mound next. Phillies ace Zack Wheeler will start in place of Sanchez on Tuesday. Sanchez owns a (2-1) record with a 3.42 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts over 26 1/3 innings in 2025.

The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson reports that Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine (shoulder) will have surgery on his left shoulder on Tuesday. He will meet with noted Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday in Los Angeles, and it will become clearer at that point whether Conine will have a chance to play again in 2025. The 27-year-old suffered a dislocated shoulder on Easter Sunday and was placed on the 60-day injured list shortly after that, so we already knew this was a pretty serious injury. Still, fantasy managers in deep single-year leagues might be dropping him outright. It's a shame for Conine, too, as he started the 2025 season hot offensively with a .281/.352/.438 slash line with a .790 OPS, a homer, seven RBI and 10 runs scored. Since Conine's injury, the Marlins have used Javier Sanoja, Kyle Stowers, Ronny Simon and Eric Wagaman in left field. Stowers, a former top O's prospect, is the most intriguing of the bunch in fantasy.

Minnesota Twins infield/outfield prospect Luke Keaschall (forearm) was hit by a pitch in Friday's 11-4 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels at Target Field and suffered a non-displaced fractured right forearm, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes. The 22-year-old hit by the pitch in the first inning from a pitch by Kyle Hendricks and eventually departed the contest in the third inning and was at designated hitter by Mickey Gasper. It's a tough break for the team's No. 3 prospect (per MLB Pipeline), who has gone 7-for-19 with three doubles, two RBI, five stolen bases, four runs scored, five walks and two strikeouts in his first seven big-league games. At the very least, Keaschall should need a few weeks to recover, so he's almost certainly heading to the injured list. DaShawn Kiersey Jr. Gasper could mix in at DH, but the good news is third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) should be back soon for Minnesota.

Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (forearm) was pulled from his start early on Friday in an eventual 8-4 loss to the visiting Miami Marlins at T-Mobile Park with right-forearm tightness, the team announced. Gilbert made it through three hitless and scoreless innings with no walks and three strikeouts before coming out. It's a scary situation for the Mariners and Gilbert, who is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball when he's healthy. For now, we'll consider him day-to-day until we know more about the severity of his injury, but fantasy managers need to keep a close eye on the situation. At the very least, there's a good chance he will have to miss his next start. The former first-rounder in 2018 out of Stetson University came into his sixth start of the year on Friday with a 2.63 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 41 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings pitched.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter (hand) will be activated off the injured list and rejoin the starting rotation on Sunday. The right-hander is scheduled to take the ball against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. There was some speculation that Leiter would take the spot of Kumar Rocker (shoulder) and pitch on Monday. That doesn't appear to be the plan, so maybe Patrick Corbin gets moved into Rocker's spot for Monday's game. Regardless, Leiter is returning and will hopefully continue to pitch like he was before the injury. Leiter has thrown 10 innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, and recorded 10 strikeouts in two starts.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell (oblique) has been removed early during Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. It's unclear how Mitchell suffered the injury, but he was taken out in the fourth inning due to oblique tightness. This is sometimes a tricky injury, so it wouldn't be shocking to see Mitchell land on the injured list. The assumption is the Brewers will do further testing to determine the significance of the injury. For now, fantasy managers should consider Mitchell as day-to-day until more information is revealed.

Minnesota Twins infielder Luke Keaschall (hand) was removed early during Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Keaschall was hit on the hand by a pitch during the first inning of this contest. He stayed in to run the bases, but was replaced by Mickey Gasper at the designated hitter spot after that. The assumption is that Keaschall will undergo imaging to determine the severity of the injury. The organization should give an update on his status shortly.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell (shoulder) recently was shut down from throwing after experiencing discomfort in his shoulder. The southpaw underwent an MRI, but it didn't reveal anything new. That being said, the Dodgers plan to give Snell an injection to hopefully calm down the inflammation in his shoulder. After that, Snell will begin a throwing program before possibly doing a few rehab starts. It sounds like Snell has avoided any major injuries. His timetable to return is unclear, but the hope is that he'll return at some point in May.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (groin) was forced to exit early from Thursday's start against the Colorado Rockies. On Friday, Royals' manager Matt Quatraro announced that Ragans is dealing with a mild groin strain. He continued by saying that Ragans feels better, but the team will monitor him over the next few days. It's unclear at the moment if Ragans will be able to take the ball against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. It sounds like he might be able to avoid a trip to the injured list, but that all depends on how the next few days go for Ragans. Fantasy managers will need to monitor his status over the next couple of days.

Colorado Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle (personal) is out of Friday's starting lineup against the visiting Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field due to personal reasons, according to The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders. With Doyle out, Mickey Moniak is in center field and will hit sixth against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott. It's worth noting that Doyle was recently on the bereavement list, but he was activated earlier this week and went 1-for-6 with a run scored and a stolen base in the team's doubleheader on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals. The 26-year-old also missed some time with a quadriceps injury and hadn't played since April 16. When he's in the lineup, Doyle is a must-start fantasy player with the ability to contribute in all categories. Moniak has a hit in two career at-bats against Abbott, but we'd suggest passing on him in a lefty-lefty matchup for DFS purposes.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (wrist) is back behind the plate to catch right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and is hitting sixth against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Paul Skenes for Friday's series opener at Dodger Stadium. Smith injured his left wrist in the loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and sat out of the series finale on Wednesday, but after an additional day off on Thursday, he's good to go on Friday. While those setting DFS lineups on Friday evening shouldn't consider Smith's matchup against Skenes to be an attractive one, the 30-year-old veteran should be returned to lineups in single-year fantasy formats. Smith comes into Friday's action hitting a robust .350/.453/.567 with a 1.02 OPS, three home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs scored in 60 at-bats. In three career at-bats against Skenes, he has one hit.