Jake Cave Tallies Four Hits, Smacks Homer In Big Game At The Plate
Colorado Rockies outfielder Jake Cave posted his best game as a Rockie on Saturday, tallying four hits, including a two-run homer, and collecting three RBI in the Rockies' 9-2 win over the New York Yankees. Cave added an RBI single and a double as part of his four-hit game. The lefty has mainly been used as a platoon option against righties and has been heating up over the past couple months, posting a .744 OPS in July and an 1.015 OPS in August after Saturday's game. Though the Rockies have been working to give their younger guys a shot at playing time, it hasn't affected Cave's availability much, making him an intriguing fantasy option and an under-the-radar DFS option. Expect Cave to be in the Rockies' lineup on Sunday against Yankees' right-hander Marcus Stroman.
Colorado Rockies outfielders Charlie Blackmon and Jake Cave will head to the bench on Wednesday in the series finale against the hosting Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field with a left-handed pitcher on the mound. Hunter Goodman is serving as the designated hitter and is batting sixth, rookie Jordan Beck is in left and hitting seventh, and Sam Hilliard draws the start in right and is in the eight-hole against D-backs lefty Jordan Montgomery. Blackmon hasn't been terrible against southpaws this year, hitting .267 (20-for-75), but only one of his seven home runs on the year have come against them. Goodman is hitting just .182 (28-for-154) in his second year in the big leagues, but he has some DFS sleeper appeal because of his power (eight homers in 53 games).
Colorado Rockies outfielder Jake Cave went 2-for-2 with a double and home run to lead the Rockies to a victory on Friday night. He also tallied three RBI. Cave replaced Sean Bouchard in the seventh inning and made an impact right away as he launched a leadoff double. He then scored off an Ezequiel Tovar single. Later in the eighth, Cave launched a three-run shot that scored Brendan Rodgers and Michael Toglia. The 31-year-old has enjoyed a nice power surge as of late, launching two of his three long balls this season over the past three games. Cave is worth a look in deeper leagues during this hot stretch and could be a sneaky play in DFS at the hitter-friendly Coors Field this weekend.
The Philadelphia Phillies claimed outfielder Jake Cave off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. The Phillies' 40-man roster now stands at 38 players with the addition of Cave. Baltimore claimed Cave off waivers from the Minnesota Twins right after the end of the 2022 season, but he'll now be joining the Phillies for next year. The 29-year-old left-handed batter played in 54 games for the Twins in 2022, batting .213/.260/.384 with five home runs, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored and two stolen bases in 177 plate appearances. He'll serve as outfield depth with his new organization. Cave is a .235/.297/.411 hitter in five major-league seasons, all with the Twins.
The Baltimore Orioles claimed outfielder Jake Cave off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday and designated pitcher Jake Reed for assignment in a corresponding move. Cave hit .213/.260/.384 with five home runs, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored and two stolen bases in 177 plate appearances and 54 games in his fifth season with the Twins in 2022. He'll likely come into spring training next year trying to compete for a bench role in Baltimore. Reed spent time with the Orioles, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers this year, posting a combined 7.02 ERA (5.09 FIP), a 1.50 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in just 16 2/3 relief innings.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Jake Cave homered Thursday, hitting a solo shot off New York Yankees starting pitcher Jameson Taillon in a 7-5 loss. It was his only hit in two at-bats before being replaced by Rob Refsnyder. Cave offers a bit of power and speed, but he isn't worth adding in fantasy with a .563 OPS in just 120 at-bats this season.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Jake Cave (back) was activated from the 60-day injured list on Saturday, according to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. Cave had been out since the middle of May with a stress fracture in his back, having only played in 31 games this season where he hit .167 with a .501 OPS. Based on that poor performance plus the Twins' current outfield rotation of Trevor Larnach, Max Kepler, Nick Gordon and Gilberto Celestino, it's hard to see how Cave will be relevant in any fantasy format now that he's returned.
Mitch Garver, Jake Cave To Begin Rehab Assignments
Minnesota Twins catcher Mitch Garver (groin) and outfielder Jake Cave (back) are set to begin rehab assignments with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Cave will serve as the designated hitter and bat second with Garver behind the plate and hitting third. Cave has been out since May 12 with a stress reaction in his back but could find playing time hard to come by when he returns, as the likes of Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, and Trevor Larnach have become regulars in the Twins' outfield. Garver, who has progressed nicely in his return from groin surgery, seems destined for a timeshare with Ryan Jeffers at the catcher position. Garver had swatted eight home runs in 116 at-bats with a 15.5 percent barrel rate and .503 expected slugging percentage, making him an upside backstop for fantasy purposes.
Mitch Garver, Jake Cave Getting Closer To Returning
Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that catcher Mitch Garver (groin) and outfielder Jake Cave (back) could start their rehab assignments at Triple-A St. Paul next week. Garver was also able to catch a bullpen on Thursday. The 30-year-old has been sidelined since June 1 with his groin injury, but he'll be able to provide those in two-catcher leagues with some pop when he's back in the second half of the season. Garver has eight home runs and 17 RBI this year in 41 games and hit a career-high 31 bombs back in 2019. Cave has been out since May 12 with a stress reaction in his back. He was hitting just .167/.239/.262 with a homer and two RBI in 31 games before his injury, and he'll serve in an outfield reserve role when he's able to return.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Jake Cave (back) was placed on the 60-day injured list on Saturday. Cave was unavailable for Friday's game and will now be forced to miss much more time than that with a fracture in his back. Manager Rocco Baldelli said that the 28-year-old had been playing through back soreness and that it felt like he would "throw his back out." Baldelli noted that Cave re-aggravated the issue during a game against the White Sox. The Twins have called up infielder/outfielder Rob Refsnyder to take Cave's place on the roster. Refsnyder is a utility bat with good career numbers against lefties, though he has no center field experience in the majors. Max Kepler figures to see the most time in center- Trevor Larnach and Kyle Garlick should see added time at the corner outfield spots along with Luis Arraez.