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Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup 5/7: Ginn & Outstanding

Nick Pollack — Fri, 08 May 2026 05:29:38 +0000

Nick Pollack reviews every starting pitcher performance from Thursday.

The post Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup 5/7: Ginn & Outstanding appeared first on Pitcher List.

Giants Infield Notes: Arraez, Schmitt

Anthony Franco — Fri, 08 May 2026 05:07:49 +0000

Luis Arraez has been a rare bright spot amidst a tough start to the season for the Giants. The three-time batting champion is out to a .316/.340/.398 start with a grand total of six strikeouts over his first 144 plate appearances.

That’s about what one expects from the game’s top contact hitter. More surprising is how well he’s taken to a move back to second base. Arraez had graded as a well below-average defender for his entire career and had mostly moved off the keystone last year in San Diego. He prioritized signing with a team that would allow him to return to second base. The Giants obliged, at least in part because of their faith in one of the sport’s most respected infield coaches, Ron Washington.

Even the front office probably didn’t anticipate Arraez playing this well defensively. Statcast has credited him with nine Outs Above Average, the best mark for a second baseman in MLB. Defensive Runs Saved has him at +5, tied for tops in the National League (with Washington’s Nasim Nuñez) and second in the Majors behind Seattle’s Cole Young. Arraez has recorded 110 assists and played nearly 300 innings without committing an error.

The whole package has made him San Francisco’s most valuable player through six weeks. The team around him has not played up to expectations. The Giants have lost eight of their last nine games and sit a season-high nine games below .500.

Their 14-23 record is tied with that of the Mets for worst in the National League. They’re already facing what seems like an insurmountable gap behind the Dodgers and Padres in the NL West. Every team in the NL Central is above .500, cluttering the path for underperforming teams like San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia to pull back from slow starts.

Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle observes that the player’s and team’s respective trajectories point toward Arraez being a valuable trade chip closer to the deadline. They’ve gotten a strong return on their one-year, $12MM deal. Arraez will return to the market next winter in advance of his age-30 season. He’d be a candidate for a qualifying offer if he keeps up this kind of defense and the Giants hang onto him beyond the deadline.

The QO would give the Giants some leverage if they’re on the fence about an Arraez trade. Still, if they get close to the deadline without erasing a good chunk of the early-season hole they’ve dug themselves, they should at least see what’s available on the trade front as a matter of diligence.

Arraez is one of their few obvious potential chips. A lot of their struggles come from underperforming veterans on contracts that’d be difficult or impossible to move. Their top impending free agents are Arraez and mid-rotation starter Robbie Ray, though the latter is playing on a heftier $25MM salary. Tyler Mahle is on a $10MM deal that’d be easier for an acquiring team to eat, but he’s alternating good and bad starts and having a difficult time missing bats.

In the short term, Arraez is part of a fairly rigid infield. The Giants brought up top prospect Bryce Eldridge to split time with Rafael Devers between first base and designated hitter. Matt Chapman and Willy Adames, neither of whom has hit well of late, are locked in on the left side.

That leaves Casey Schmitt without an obvious spot in the order. He has easily been the team’s best offensive player, batting .296/.344/.539 with six homers — twice as many as anyone else on the club. They obviously can’t afford to take him out of a lineup that has scored 17 fewer runs than any other.

Schmitt has started the past two games at second base while Arraez nurses a bruised thumb. The latter is expected to return to the lineup for this weekend’s series against the Pirates. That might be a precursor to the first outfield work of Schmitt’s career.

President of baseball operations Buster Posey and manager Tony Vitello each said this week that Schmitt would bounce around the diamond to get continued playing time (link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). The first-year skipper said that he feels Schmitt is athletic enough to handle the corner outfield, though he cautioned the team would “need to do (that) intelligently.”

Schmitt hasn’t logged a single inning of outfield work at San Diego State or at any point in his minor league or MLB career. He told Pavlovic he’s open to playing anywhere necessary to stay in the lineup. Schmitt is a plus runner who has shown the versatility to bounce around the infield. It’s certainly not out of the question that he could be a capable or better outfielder, though Oracle Park isn’t the easiest home park in which to pick that up.

The Giants made a point of improving the outfield defense with the Harrison Bader signing. That pushed Jung Hoo Lee from center to right field. Bader started ice cold offensively and landed on the injured list on April 12 with a left hamstring strain. Lee has picked up a few starts in center as a result, but he’s still mostly playing right field. Drew Gilbert has been the primary fill-in up the middle. Heliot Ramos has started all but three games in left field.

Lee and Ramos have each struggled offensively. Despite nearly average contributions from Gilbert, the Giants have had one of the game’s weakest center field groups (.176/.212/.272 in 133 PAs). Using Schmitt on the grass could be one of their only immediate options for trying to spark some life into the offense.

Starting Pitcher Chart – May 8th, 2026

Paul Sporer — Fri, 08 May 2026 04:40:13 +0000

Remarkably deep board of options to start the weekend

Source

Astros Likely To Select Logan VanWey

Anthony Franco — Fri, 08 May 2026 03:24:15 +0000

Astros reliever Logan VanWey is meeting the team in Cincinnati for their weekend series with the Reds, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Houston has an open spot on the pitching staff after optioning Jason Alexander during Thursday’s off day. They also have a vacancy on the 40-man roster because they designated outfielder Dustin Harris for assignment on Tuesday.

Assuming they select VanWey’s contract rather than adding him to the taxi squad, he’ll be in Joe Espada’s bullpen for the first time this season. The former undrafted free agent reached the majors last April. He was on and off the MLB roster a few times throughout his rookie year, logging 10 2/3 innings across nine appearances. He gave up seven runs (six earned) on 15 hits while recording seven strikeouts and three walks.

The Astros dropped VanWey from the 40-man roster halfway through the offseason. He went unclaimed on waivers and remained in the system on an outright assignment. The 27-year-old righty has made 15 apperances this year with Triple-A Sugar Land. He has allowed 10 earned runs through 15 2/3 frames but has fanned 19 of 70 opponents, an above-average 27% rate.

VanWey doesn’t have huge raw stuff. His fastball sits in the 91-93 mph range and he works mostly with a low-80s slider as his main secondary pitch. It wasn’t a big swing-and-miss arsenal in his limited MLB work, though he has missed a fair number of bats in the minors. VanWey last pitched on Tuesday and will give Houston a fresh arm for the middle innings.

The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 1505 – Slow Start or Just 2 Weeks After All?

Paul Sporer — Fri, 08 May 2026 02:20:49 +0000

Paul and Justin run the opposite of Monday's show this time looking at hitters who had lagging numbers through 2 weeks only to run hot of late

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Astros Re-Sign Daniel Johnson To Minor League Deal

Anthony Franco — Fri, 08 May 2026 02:00:11 +0000

The Astros re-signed outfielder Daniel Johnson to a minor league contract, according to the MiLB.com transaction tracker. He elected free agency yesterday after being designated for assignment on Monday. He’ll report to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Johnson began the season in Triple-A with the Marlins. Released in early April, he signed with Houston a couple weeks later. Johnson was called up not long after with the Astros’ outfield dealing with a lot of injuries. He played in eight MLB games, collecting two hits and walks apiece over 17 plate appearances. Zach Cole came back from a broken toe that had cost him five weeks and replaced Johnson on the active roster this week.

The 30-year-old Johnson has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons but has fewer than 200 career trips to the dish. He owns a .191/.249/.306 line with five home runs in 75 games, striking out at a 28% clip along the way. He’s a .255/.321/.448 hitter in nearly 1800 plate appearances over parts of seven Triple-A campaigns.

Tigers Outright Yoniel Curet, Zack Short

Anthony Franco — Fri, 08 May 2026 01:07:32 +0000

The Tigers sent righty Yoniel Curet and infielder Zack Short through outright waivers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News was among those to relay. Short is still weighing whether to accept the assignment or elect free agency. This is the first career outright for Curet, so he has no choice but to report to Triple-A Toledo.

Both players were recent acquisitions. Detroit picked up Curet off waivers from Philadelphia in the middle of April. They traded for Short, who was playing on a minor league contract, in a cash deal with the Nationals on Friday. Detroit called him up on Sunday and designated him for assignment on Tuesday after he went 0-3 in two games.

Curet, 23, has yet to pitch in the big leagues. He garnered some prospect hype after a strong run between 2022-24 in the low minors of the Rays’ system. Tampa Bay carried him on the 40-man roster for two years as a long-term development project. A shoulder injury sidelined him for the first half of last season, and the big righty struggled to throw strikes once he got healthy. The Phils picked him up in a DFA trade in December but dropped him from the roster early in April.

The Tigers will now get to work with Curet without needing to carry him on the 40-man roster. He has a mid-90s fastball and showed big strikeout potential early in his minor league career. It seems likelier at this point that any MLB future is going to come out of the bullpen. Curet spent the first couple weeks of his time in the Detroit system at their Florida complex, presumably to work on his mechanics. He has only pitched once for Toledo and walked three of his six opponents.

Short is a utility player who owns a .171/.269/.295 line in just shy of 600 big league plate appearances. Detroit was very thin on upper minors shortstop depth behind Kevin McGonigle once Javier Báez joined Zach McKinstry and Trey Sweeney on the injured list. McKinstry returned this week and they brought in Paul DeJong on a minor league contract on Tuesday, pushing Short down the depth chart a couple notches.

Carlos Carrasco Elects Free Agency

Steve Adams — Fri, 08 May 2026 00:36:33 +0000

May 7: As expected, Carrasco again cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to the MLB.com transaction log. The likeliest outcome is that he’ll return on a new minor league deal within the next couple days.

May 5: The Braves announced Tuesday that veteran righty Carlos Carrasco has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster goes to closer Raisel Iglesias, who has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list.

It’s the second time this season Atlanta has designated Carrasco for assignment. He seems quite amenable to being used as a de facto 41st man on the roster — being selected to the majors when an extra arm is needed, then riding the DFA carousel and re-signing a new minor league deal when he’s outrighted or released. He’s now been designated for assignment by the Braves three times dating back to last August. Each time he’s cleared waivers and re-signed. It’s the same gambit we saw with Atlanta and Jesse Chavez late in his career. Plenty of other clubs have done this with out-of-options pitchers in recent years as well (e.g. Mariners/Casey Lawrence, Yankees/Ryan Weber).

Carrasco has pitched in two games with the Braves this year. He’s logged 2 1/3 innings and held opponents scoreless on one hit and no walks with a pair of strikeouts. The former Cleveland ace has pitched well in Triple-A, too, tossing 21 innings (four starts) with a 1.71 earned run average.

At 39 years old, Carrasco is a good bet to again pass through waivers and return to Triple-A Gwinnett — whether by accepting an outright assignment or becoming a free agent and quickly re-signing, as he did after his most recent DFA in mid-April. Teams are typically very open and straightforward with veterans in this type of situation, so Carrasco is surely on board with the setup. It’s feasible that he’ll continue to pitch well enough that a team will eventually claim him off waivers, although in that scenario, he still makes out nicely, as he gets to stick in the big leagues and collect a major league paycheck even longer.

The Braves also noted that lefty Dylan Dodd is heading out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim‘s rehab assignment has been moved from Double-A to Triple-A as well. Both are on the mend and should be activated before too much longer.

Carlos Estévez Diagnosed With Rotator Cuff Strain

Anthony Franco — Thu, 07 May 2026 23:47:11 +0000

A nightmare season continues for Carlos Estévez. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports that the Royals’ closer suffered a rotator cuff strain and will be shut down from throwing for three weeks. He’ll be reevaluated at the end of May.

Estévez has been out of action since Opening Day. He took a Michael Harris II comebacker off his left foot in his first outing. That resulted in a contusion that sidelined him for more than a month. The Royals sent him to Triple-A Omaha last night to begin a minor league rehab assignment. Estévez threw 14 pitches and recorded two outs before reporting the shoulder discomfort.

He’ll obviously be pulled off the rehab assignment and is essentially starting the recovery process from scratch. Even if he’s cleared to resume throwing in three weeks, he’ll need to progress through a series of bullpen and live batting practice sessions before he’s ready to embark on a new rehab assignment. That points toward a mid-late June target as the likely earliest return date. He’ll be a candidate for a move to the 60-day IL if they need to clear a 40-man roster spot, though the Royals will probably move Jonathan India (season-ending labrum surgery) there first.

Estévez hasn’t looked right at any point in 2026. Even when he was ostensibly healthy during Spring Training and in the World Baseball Classic, his velocity was nowhere near usual levels. Estévez averaged 89.4 mph on his four-seam fastball over five spring appearances, nearly seven ticks below last year’s level. Pitchers usually build some velocity as they get into game shape and play in higher-pressure settings during the regular season, but that kind of drop in one offseason is very rare. Estévez was around 91 mph in his regular season debut before the foot injury.

The back of the bullpen looked like a potential strength for the Royals entering the spring. Estévez led the Majors with 42 saves last year. He turned in a 2.45 earned run average for a second straight season. Although last year’s career-low 20.1% strikeout rate and 8.2% swinging strike marks were red flags, he would have been locked in as Matt Quatraro’s closer.

Estévez’s absence has pushed Lucas Erceg to the ninth. He has held his own, going 10-12 in save chances while allowing six earned runs through 15 1/3 innings. However, Erceg is missing bats at the lowest rate of his career while struggling to get hitters to expand the strike zone. He’s falling behind early in counts and has walked 11 of 62 opponents (17.7%). Erceg has mostly worked around the free passes, but he’s not leaving himself much margin for error.

The Kansas City bullpen as a whole carries a 4.80 earned run average that ranks 24th in MLB. Only Cincinnati relievers have issued walks at a higher rate, while they’re in the bottom third of the league in strikeouts and whiffs. They’ve been better of late following a league-worst start to the season, but only Daniel Lynch IV and Matt Strahm have strong underlying numbers.

Estévez is the team’s highest-paid reliever, making a $10MM salary in the second season of his $22MM free agent contract. The Royals hold a $13MM option for next year that comes with a $2MM buyout. It’s increasingly difficult to see them exercising that, meaning the two-time All-Star will likely return to free agency at year’s end.

Padres Select Rodolfo Durán

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 23:05:19 +0000

The Padres announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Rodolfo Durán. He’ll take the active roster spot of fellow backstop Luis Campusano, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left toe fracture. To open a 40-man spot, right-hander Joe Musgrove has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Prior to the official announcement, Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune noted that Durán was present in the locker room.

Per Heilbrunn, Campusano suffered his injury when he fouled a ball off his foot on Tuesday. It’s unclear how much time he is expected to miss but it’s an unfortunate setback for him. Campusano finished last season on the roster bubble. He struggled in 2024 and then was hardly called up in 2025, burning his final option year, leaving him out of options going forward.

The Padres didn’t add any catchers to the big league roster in the offseason, therefore starting 2026 with Campusano and Freddy Fermin as their catching duo. Campusano has produced a massive .288/.362/.596 line so far this year but now that production will be on pause while he deals with this toe fracture.

Since there were only two catchers on the roster, the Friars had to add someone to replace Campusano. That someone is Durán. He gets a big league roster spot for the first time and is making his major league debut. He is in tonight’s lineup, batting ninth.

Duran, 28, was an international signing out of the Dominican Republic way back in 2014. He began his big league career with the Phillies but became a free agent after the 2021 season. Since then, he has signed minor league deals with the Yankees, Royals and Padres.

As a minor leaguer, he has generally been considered a competent defender. In terms of his offense, he has some pop but has usually had subpar walk rates. Since he first signed with the Padres going into 2025, he has an 8.6% walk rate at Triple-A, much better than earlier in his career. His .278/.347/.488 slash in that year-plus span looks quite nice, though in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, that actually translates to a subpar 96 wRC+. Catchers are generally about ten points below league average though, so it’s possible Durán can be more than adequate for a depth backstop.

Since this is Durán’s first big league call, he has a full slate of options. That means he can be easily sent back to El Paso when Campusano gets healthy. It’s also possible the Padres look to add some more depth via a minor trade or a waiver claim, since they are a bit light behind the plate.

As for Musgrove, this isn’t a surprising transaction. His 60-day count is retroactive to the start of the season, so he’ll be eligible for reinstatement in late May. He’s not going to be ready at that time. He is still recovering from his 2024 Tommy John surgery. There’s not a lot of information about his current status but he hasn’t begun a rehab assignment.

Whenever he does begin a rehab assignment, he’ll surely need a while to ramp up, effectively as a delayed spring training. Rehab assignments for pitchers are normally capped at 30 days but a pitcher recovering from UCL surgery can have that extended by ten days, with as many as three such extensions possible.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

The Dodgers’ Lineup Depth Is Shining

Anthony Franco — Thu, 07 May 2026 22:30:43 +0000

The Dodgers have raced to a 23-14 start that has them narrowly above the Padres in the NL West. They're the two-time defending champions and entered the season as near locks to make the playoffs. Everyone knew they'd be good, but they're thriving right now despite generally underwhelming starts from their biggest bats.

Mookie Betts has been out since April 5 with a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker and Will Smith are all hitting below their career levels, largely because of drops in power. Even Shohei Ohtani hasn't made his usual level of offensive impact. He's still getting on base at a huge .389 clip but is on a 26-homer pace after topping 50 in each of his first two seasons with the team. Ohtani's first full season back on the mound has been exceptional -- he was just named the league's Pitcher of the Month for the first time in his career -- but he has yet to fire on all cylinders at the plate.

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Big Kid Adds (Week 6)

Jeff Zimmerman — Thu, 07 May 2026 22:30:13 +0000

The closer merry-go-round goes round-and-round.

Source

Cubs Acquire Tyler Ferguson

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 22:20:45 +0000

The Cubs have acquired right-hander Tyler Ferguson from the Athletics, according to announcements from both clubs. The A’s, who designated him for assignment yesterday, receive cash considerations in return. Chicago opened a 40-man roster spot earlier today when righty Corbin Martin was designated for assignment.

Ferguson, 32, was added to the Athletics’ 40-man roster two years ago. That’s two years to the day, in fact, as he was first selected on May 7th of 2024. He has spent that time as an up-and-down arm for the A’s, getting shuttled to Triple-A Las Vegas and back with regularity.

He has a five-pitch arsenal, with his four-seamer and sinker having averaged around 95 miles per hour. His most-used secondary pitch is a sweeper, which he throws almost 30% of the time. He also throws a cutter about 11% of the time and a changeup makes up less than 4% of his offerings.

In the big leagues, he has logged 110 2/3 innings for the A’s, allowing 4.47 earned runs per nine. His 12.6% walk rate is a few ticks higher than average but he has also punched out opponents at a decent 25.4% rate. That earned him some leverage work with the A’s, as he has four career saves and 22 holds.

His work in the minors has generally been good, as he had a 2.82 ERA over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, despite pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 8.2% walk rate at that level was more reasonable than his big league clip and he struck out 31.8% of batters faced. He was out to a rough start this year, however, with a 6.17 ERA in his first ten Triple-A appearances. Presumably, that played a role in nudging him off the roster.

The Cubs will take a shot on him, presumably overlooking this year’s numbers as small sample noise. Ferguson is in his final option year and has been sent to Iowa for now. Chicago has been working around a large number of pitching injuries, with relievers Hunter Harvey, Porter Hodge, Riley Martin, Ethan Roberts and Caleb Thielbar having all hit the IL in the past month. Despite those injury challenges, the Cubs are 26-12 and tied for the best record in baseball.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Latest On Astros’ Rotation

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 22:01:18 +0000

The Astros are planning to reinstate Tatsuya Imai from the injured list to face the Mariners next week, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. As Rome outlines, Imai’s rehab results haven’t been great but the banged-up Houston rotation needs any arms it can get as the club kicks off a stretch of 13 straight games without a day off on Friday.

At this point, it’s hard to know what to make of Imai. He has been pretty dominant in Japan for the past few years but MLB clubs were apparently skeptical of how he would translate to North American ball. While it was thought he could secure a long-term deal with a nine-figure guarantee, he settled for a three-year, $54MM deal with opt-outs after each season. The ideal path forward for Imai would have seen him prove his bona fides against big league pitching before returning to free agency to cash in.

So far, it is not going according to plan. He couldn’t get out of the third inning in his first start. His second outing was good, as he tossed 5 2/3 scoreless frames. But in the third start, he only recorded one out.

He then landed on the IL with the vague diagnosis of arm fatigue. He began a rehab assignment on April 28th. Per Rome, the plan was for just one rehab outing but he allowed five earned runs in two innings while walking three. The Astros decided to give him a second rehab outing, hoping for four or five innings with fewer walks. He got through three innings but walked five.

The control issues are a concerning development, considering that had been an issue in his time in Japan. From 2019 to 2023, he finished each season with a walk rate of at least 11.4%. He did show improvement, dropping that to 9.8% in 2024 and then 7% last year. For reference, MLB average is usually around 8 to 9%. In his three starts for the Astros this year, he walked 25% of the batters he faced.

General manager Dana Brown is quoted in Rome’s piece, saying basically that Imai needs to have more faith in his own arsenal. “A big part of it is just allowing him to free his mind up (and) attack major-league hitters like he used to attack hitters in Japan. Don’t overthink it and just lock in and be yourself,” said Brown. “That’s a big point we’re trying to make to him: just be yourself and have confidence in the stuff because your stuff plays at this level.”

That’s interesting framing considering past comments from Imai. Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball has been playing with a dead ball in recent years, with offense way down. The run-scoring environment was so low that Imai got bored.

“I didn’t always dream of going to MLB,” Imai said in November, as relayed by Yakyu Cosmopolitan. “But over the past two or three years […] I felt like there weren’t many hitters who were even trying to hit a homer off me anymore. A lot of lineups would just foul pitches off and run up my pitch count. I get that’s a valid part of strategy, but if I were a fan, I don’t think that kind of baseball is very fun to watch.”

This is perhaps an oversimplification but it’s possible the dead ball allowed Imai to attack the strike zone more, lowering his walk rates. With the move to MLB, maybe he has become more concerned with nibbling at the edges and has thus lost his feel a bit.

Time will tell if he can get back in good form but the recent numbers aren’t encouraging. The Astros are evidently going to try anyway, a reflection of their snakebit rotation. In addition to Imai hitting the IL for arm fatigue, they have lost Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier to shoulder strains this year. That’s on top of Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski and Brandon Walter, each of whom is still recovering from surgery performed last year.

Their rotation currently consists of Lance McCullers Jr., Mike Burrows, Spencer Arrighetti, Cody Bolton and Peter Lambert. McCullers is now a question mark for his next start. He couldn’t get through three innings yesterday, later telling Rome that it was due to issues with the fingernail on the index finger of his throwing hand. He is unsure if he’ll be able to take the ball next time.

The Astros are off today. In Cincinnati this weekend, they are scheduled to have Burrows and Arrighetti for the first two. After that, Bolton or Lambert could start on Sunday and/or Monday. Imai will be in the mix next week, perhaps as soon as Monday. If McCullers can’t take the ball and they want to bring someone else into the mix, their choices may be limited. Both Ryan Weiss and Jason Alexander have been optioned in recent days. A pitcher can’t be recalled after being optioned until 15 days have elapsed, unless someone else is going on the IL.

Kai-Wei Teng and AJ Blubaugh have been pitching some multi-inning stints from the bullpen and could take on some bulk. Colton Gordon was optioned on April 25th, so his 15-day window will soon be up. Miguel Ullola is on the 40-man but is struggling with control in Triple-A and the Astros haven’t called him up this year, despite calling almost every other hand on deck. J.P. France and Brandon Bielak are some non-roster options in Triple-A.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Yankees To Recall Spencer Jones

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 21:50:04 +0000

The Yankees are going to call up outfield prospect Spencer Jones, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. That will apparently be the corresponding move for fellow outfielder Jasson Domínguez heading to the injured list.

Domínguez departed today’s game after crashing into the wall to make a catch. He was examined by the medical staff for a while before being carted off the field. After the game, manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Domínguez will be heading to the injured list and will miss a few weeks. He has tested negative for a concussion thus far but has a low-grade AC sprain in his left shoulder. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com was among those to pass along the update from Boone.

It’s an unfortunate setback for Domínguez. He came into this season without a great path to playing time. The Yanks had an outfield consisting of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. The designated hitter spot was filled by Giancarlo Stanton. Moving Bellinger to first base wasn’t an option with Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt sharing that spot.

Domínguez was called up about two weeks ago when Stanton was sidelined by a calf strain, opening up some at-bats. Rice has also missed the past four games due to a hand contusion. Even though Rice isn’t expected to hit the IL, that also somewhat softened the clog which was blocking Domínguez. Now Domínguez himself will be sidelined and therefore unable to take advantage of the openings. Perhaps there will still be playing time available for him when he gets back but that will depend how long he is out and what happens with the other guys in the interim.

With Domínguez set to join Stanton on the IL, the Yankees will use that as an opportunity to look at Jones, who is a polarizing prospect. The power is undeniable but it also comes with big strikeout concerns. He hit 35 home runs in the minors last year and already has 11 this season, but with massive strikeout numbers. He was punched out in 35.4% of his plate appearances last year, between Double-A and Triple-A. He has reduced that this year, but to a still-high 32.4% clip.

He has still been productive in the minors, even with all those punchouts. He has a .269/.350/.567 line and 135 wRC+ in his Triple-A career, indicating he has been 35% better than league average, despite striking out at a 35.2% clip at the level overall. It’s hard to succeed when striking out that much and he would presumably whiff even more in the majors, where the pitching is notably better than in Triple-A. Last year, no qualified hitter struck out more than Ryan McMahon and his 32.3% pace.

As mentioned, it’s a divisive profile. He was a consensus top 100 prospect going into 2024 but he doesn’t appear on those lists anymore. Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs have him ranked #6 in the system, while The Athletic gave him the #7 spot and ESPN #5. Jones can steal bases and is considered an adequate defender, certainly in the corners and maybe even in center. But really, whether he’s a viable major leaguer or not depends on what he does in the batter’s box.

Jones was just added to the 40-man roster in November, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. This is his first of three option seasons. If he struggles against major league pitching in the next few weeks, he can be sent back down when Stanton or Domínguez come off the IL. If he does find a way to make it work, then perhaps they have some tougher decisions to make.

They are in a position to experiment, as the Yanks are 26-12. Not only is that tied for the best record in baseball, but the rest of the American League is floundering. The Guardians are third in the A.L. with a 20-19 record. Even if Jones strikes out way too much, they will still be in a strong position.

Photo courtesy of Morgan Tencza, Imagn Images

Red Sox Place Roman Anthony On Injured List

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 21:45:25 +0000

4:45pm: The Sox have now officially put Anthony on the IL, retroactive to May 5th, and recalled Gasper. Though Anthony says he has a sprained ligament in his finger, the Sox listed his ailment as a right wrist sprain.

3:40pm: Red Sox manager Chad Tracy announced to reporters that outfielder Roman Anthony will be placed on the 10-day injured list. Utility player Mickey Gasper will be recalled in a corresponding move. Anthony says he has a sprained ligament in his right ring finger but expects to be back after a minimal stint on the IL. Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald was among those to pass along the info. Gasper is still on his way to Fenway, per Christopher Smith of MassLive, which is perhaps why the moves haven’t been officially announced yet.

Anthony departed Monday’s game and the club announced that he was experiencing right wrist discomfort. He hasn’t been in the lineup since then. Tracy said today that the issue hasn’t worsened but the club doesn’t want to keep playing short-handed while they wait for Anthony to heal. Since he hasn’t played in a few days, they should be able to backdate the IL placement to Tuesday. That will mean Anthony could be back in just over a week.

Perhaps it will be a chance for him to hit the reset button. He put up a massive .292/.396/.463 line in his debut last year but has scuffled early in 2026, with a .229/.354/.321 line. He also dealt with some back soreness earlier this season, so it’s possible he hasn’t really been healthy for long enough to get in a groove.

For the time being, this move alleviates the outfield logjam that has been an issue for the Sox. With Anthony on the shelf, they can now use the three outfield positions and the designated hitter slot to give regular playing time to each of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida.

The Sox have only sent Yoshida to the plate 69 times this season, about half of the other guys, despite the fact that he’s hitting .310/.420/.379 while Duran has a .190/.255/.325 line. Some of that is luck, as Yoshida has a high .360 batting average on balls in play while Duran’s BABIP is .235. For reference, league average is usually around .290. Still, there’s an argument for riding the hot hand when the team is struggling to score runs. That will be more possible now, though it could be a temporary situation if Anthony is back as quick as hoped.

Gasper has outfield experience but will provide more general depth, as he also has spent time at catcher and the three non-shortstop infield positions. Bench infielders Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio each have some outfield experience and could be called upon if necessary.

Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images

Top 150 Hitters for Fantasy Baseball 2026 – Week 6

Scott Chu — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:30:35 +0000

Scott Chu updates his top 150 hitters for fantasy baseball.

The post Top 150 Hitters for Fantasy Baseball 2026 – Week 6 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Phillies Claim Grant Holman

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 19:30:50 +0000

The Phillies announced that they have claimed right-hander Grant Holman off waivers from the Tigers and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Detroit designated him for assignment a few days ago. The Phils had a couple of 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

Holman, 26 this month, has been riding the waiver wire quite a bit in recent months. He pitched for the Athletics in 2024 and 2025 but that club designated him for assignment in February. He was claimed by the Diamondbacks and has since gone to the Dodgers, Tigers and now Phillies on subsequent claims. He’s been kept on optional assignment this year, having not pitched in the big leagues since last season.

The major league track record isn’t particularly impressive. Holman tossed 38 2/3 innings for the A’s in the two previous seasons, allowing 4.66 earned runs per nine. His 18.8% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate have been subpar. His 43.9% ground ball rate has been above average by a couple of ticks.

His minor league numbers have been stronger. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has thrown 62 innings on the farm with an ERA of 0.87. That is at least a bit misleading, as his .218 batting average on balls in play and 88.3% strand rate in that sample have been very fortunate. His 10.6% walk rate is on the high side but he paired that with a 28.1% strikeout rate and solid ground ball numbers as well. He’s mostly a fastball-splitter guy, throwing those two pitches roughly 85% of the time, with his slider taking up the rest of his usage.

For the Phils, as mentioned, they had a couple of free roster spots. They designated Dylan Moore for assignment a few days ago and traded Trevor Richards to the White Sox. Since Holman still has options, they’ve used one of those two open spots to grab him and stash him in the minors as some extra bullpen depth. If he sticks on the roster, he could be called upon whenever they need a fresh arm in the big league level.

Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

A’s Designate Austin Wynns For Assignment

Steve Adams — Thu, 07 May 2026 18:30:55 +0000

1:30pm: The Athletics have now formally announced these moves.

12:58pm: The A’s will designate catcher Austin Wynns for assignment today when Shea Langeliers returns from the paternity list, reports Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Langeliers and the recently reacquired Jonah Heim will split catching duties for the time being.

Wynns has been with the Athletics since last June, when they picked him up in a cash swap following a DFA by the Reds. The 35-year-old has appeared in 36 games with the A’s and taken 110 plate appearances while slashing .167/.204/.304. It’s a far cry from the outlier .400/.442/.700 line he delivered in 43 plate appearances with Cincinnati, though Wynns was never going to sustain the .520 average on balls in play that propped up his Reds output.

In parts of eight major league seasons between the Orioles, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Reds and A’s, Wynns has come to the plate 826 times and recorded a .231/.276/.347 batting line with 19 home runs. The journeyman backup doesn’t have particularly strong framing grades in his career, but Statcast considers his blocking skills average and he’s nabbed an excellent 30.2% of runners who’ve attempted to steal on him in his career.

Wynns’ poor performance at the plate will send him to the waiver wire in all likelihood, though it’s possible another club swings a cash swap to plug him in as a short-term backup. Wynns has more than five years of big league service time, so even if he clears waivers, he can reject an outright assignment, elect free agency and retain the remainder of this year’s $1.1MM guarantee. Even when Wynns has cleared waivers in the past, he’s found another big league opportunity fairly quickly. Clubs clearly value his experience, his defensive chops and his work with pitchers — hence his five-plus years of major league service between six clubs despite perennially subpar offensive output.

A’s To Designate Austin Wynns For Assignment

Steve Adams — Thu, 07 May 2026 17:58:55 +0000

The A’s will designate catcher Austin Wynns for assignment today when Shea Langeliers returns from the paternity list, reports Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Langeliers and the recently reacquired Jonah Heim will split catching duties for the time being.

Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 5/6

Rick Graham — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:56:01 +0000

A Review of Key Bullpen and Reliever Usage from Yesterday's Games

The post Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 5/6 appeared first on Pitcher List.

AL East Top Prospects- May Update

Martin Sekulski — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:30:08 +0000

The future stars of the AL East are reviewed!

The post AL East Top Prospects- May Update appeared first on Pitcher List.

Matthew Boyd To Miss About Six Weeks Following Meniscus Surgery

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:18:33 +0000

May 7: Boyd has now undergone his surgery, and Counsell told the team’s beat that it proved to be a relatively minor meniscus repair (via Marquee’s Taylor McGregor). They’re hopeful the left-hander can return in around six weeks.

May 6: Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd is going to undergo surgery to address an injury to the meniscus in his left knee. His current timetable is unknown. Manager Craig Counsell provided the update to reporters, including Jesse Rogers of ESPN. After Counsell spoke, the Cubs officially placed him on the 15-day injured list. Right-hander Trent Thornton was selected to take Boyd’s spot on the roster. Left-hander Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Thornton. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported that Thornton would be coming up prior to the official announcement.

The Boyd injury comes out of nowhere. He started for the Cubs on Sunday and tossed six innings of two-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Apparently, Boyd first noticed the injury while getting up and down to play with his kids, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. That led to an MRI, which showed an issue with his meniscus. His timeline won’t be known until after the procedure takes place, per Mooney, but it will be longer than a minimum stint on the IL.

For however long Boyd is ultimately out, it will be a blow to the Cubs. They have already lost Cade Horton to Tommy John surgery, so he’s done for the year. Justin Steele is trying to come back from his own elbow surgery but a flexor strain recently pushed his timeline and he’s probably out beyond the All-Star break now.

The Cubs started the year with Horton, Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga in five spots. Boyd missed time earlier due to a bicep strain. Due to that ailment and Horton’s surgery, Colin Rea moved from the bullpen to the rotation and Javier Assad was called up from the minors. When Boyd returned from the bicep issue, Assad was bumped to the bullpen.

Boyd’s spot in the rotation is due up on Friday. Perhaps Assad will get another rotation gig but he’s not currently stretched out. His last start was April 19th, when he went 5 2/3. He then pitched one inning on April 23rd and 2 1/3 on April 25th, followed by a big gap. He tossed an inning and a third last night, his first game action in ten days.

Doug Nikhazy is on optional assignment and could be another option but he lasted only 2 2/3 innings in each of his two most recent Triple-A starts. Guys like Ty Blach, Connor Noland, Paul Campbell and Will Sanders have been starting in Triple-A but aren’t on the 40-man and no one in that trio has an ERA below 6.00.

For now, Thornton gives them an extra arm in the bullpen. The Cubs signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason. He has made four Triple-A appearances, logging 5 2/3 innings with a 3.18 earned run average, 20% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate.

He is coming off a pretty decent three-year run in the big leagues. From 2023 to 2025, mostly with the Mariners, he tossed 146 innings with a 3.58 ERA, 22.5% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 40.1% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, he tore his left Achilles last summer, ended his season prematurely. That led Seattle to non-tender him, which allowed the Cubs to scoop him up on a minor league pact.

Ideally, he’ll get back on track and be a useful piece of the Chicago bullpen. If it doesn’t work out, Thornton has at least five years of big league service time, meaning he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.

Barnes, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason and was added to the roster about two weeks into the season. He made one big league appearance, tossing three innings of relief on April 13th, allowing three earned runs. In Triple-A this year, he has tossed 21 2/3 innings with a 3.74 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 12.4% walk rate.

He’ll now head into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cubs could take five days to field trade interest, though they could also put him on waivers sooner than that. He spent 2022 to 2025 pitching in South Korea, posting a 3.58 ERA for the Lotte Giants. Since he still has options, perhaps that will entice some clubs in need of pitching depth, but the Cubs are one such club and they’re bumping him off the roster.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images

Buy & Sell 5/7 – Identifying Who to Add & Who to Drop

Ben Pernick — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:00:48 +0000

Ben Pernick recommends the hottest and coldest hitters to add and drop.

The post Buy & Sell 5/7 – Identifying Who to Add & Who to Drop appeared first on Pitcher List.

Marlins Announce Several Roster Moves

Steve Adams — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:57:56 +0000

The Marlins announced a quartet of roster moves this morning. Infielder Graham Pauley and lefty Dax Fulton were optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Right-hander Stephen Jones‘ contract was selected from Jacksonville, and outfielder Heriberto Hernandez has been recalled as well. Miami had an opening for Jones on the 40-man roster after this week’s DFA of veteran righty Chris Paddack. However, with top prospect Robby Snelling confirmed to be Friday’s starter and needing a 40-man spot, the Fish will now need to make a 40-man roster move between today’s game and tomorrow’s game in order to get Snelling onto the roster.

More to come.

PPP 786 – Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers To Add And Drop – 5-7-26

Nick Pollack — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:42:44 +0000

Nick Pollack's latest episode of his SP focused Plus Pitch Podcast.

The post PPP 786 – Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers To Add And Drop – 5-7-26 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Cubs Designate Corbin Martin For Assignment

Steve Adams — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:21:57 +0000

The Cubs announced Thursday that righty Corbin Martin has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to fellow right-handed reliever Gavin Hollowell, who has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa.

Martin signed a minor league deal with Chicago back in January. His contract was selected to the major league roster in mid-April, and he’s appeared in seven games with sub-par results. The 2017 second-rounder (Astros) started out nicely, with four shutout innings, but he’s allowed runs in three consecutive appearances and only completed one inning in that time. Over those three outings, Martin has faced 11 batters and yielded four hits (two of them homers) and four walks en route to six earned runs.

Now 30 years old, Martin was a highly regarded prospect, going from Houston to Arizona as part of the 2019 Zack Greinke blockbuster. Injuries have consistently hampered him, however. He’s pitched in parts of five major league seasons between Houston, Arizona, Baltimore and now Chicago, totaling 80 2/3 innings with a 6.81 earned run average. Since being drafted, he’s undergone Tommy John surgery and surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his lat. The first procedure wiped out his entire 2020 season and a good portion of the 2021 campaign. The second cost him all of the 2023 season.

The Cubs will have five days to trade Martin, place him on outright waivers or release him. Outright waivers are a 48-hour process, meaning his DFA will be resolved within the next week.

Royals Notes: Ragans, Rotation, Estévez

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:17:26 +0000

The Royals got a bit of injury scare yesterday with Cole Ragans departing his start. He’ll continue to be evaluated but the Royals appear to be hopeful that the move was precautionary and that Ragans won’t need to go on the injured list.

Ragans threw 58 pitches over three innings before departing last night. After the game, he told Anne Rogers of MLB.com that he felt soreness and tightness in the bottom of his triceps and elbow. That sounds a bit ominous, especially for a guy with two prior Tommy John surgeries, but Ragans feels this is different. “I’ve been through the elbow stuff,” he said. “I know it’s not what I’ve been through before.” Manager Matt Quatraro told broadcaster Joel Goldberg that he was being cautious with the removal and that he’s hopeful Ragans can make his next start.

The southpaw isn’t out to his best start, with a 4.84 earned run average and 15.2% walk rate so far this year. Regardless, the Royals don’t want to lose him, knowing what he’s capable of. In 2024, he finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting after posting a 3.14 ERA over 32 starts.

If Ragans does ultimately end up on the IL, the Royals are in a decent spot to cover for him, with Stephen Kolek currently on the outside of the rotation looking in. Kolek started the year on the IL himself due to an oblique strain. He came off the IL a couple of days ago and made a spot start when Noah Cameron was experiencing some back tightness. Kolek had a strong start, getting the win against the Guardians after throwing six innings of three-run ball. But since Cameron is expected to make his next start, Kolek was optioned to Triple-A.

A pitcher who is optioned normally has to wait 15 days before being recalled but an exception is made when someone is placed on the IL. If Ragans or Cameron were put on the shelf, Kolek could be promptly recalled.

Kolek has a 4.03 career ERA and just posted a 2.76 ERA on his rehab assignment before that spot start. He would be in the rotation for a lot of teams but is currently blocked by Ragans, Cameron, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic. Other depth options on the roster including Mason Black and Mitch Spence but the Royals recently lost Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna to season-ending surgeries.

There’s also a notable injury situation to watch relating to the Kansas City bullpen. Reliever Carlos Estévez exited a rehab game yesterday due to shoulder discomfort. That’s a bit of a worrisome development since that’s a new injury. He landed on the IL a little over a month ago due to a left foot contusion suffered when he was hit by a comebacker.

Even before getting hit by that comebacker, his velocity was down and his early-season results were poor. His fastball averaged around 97 miles per hour for most of his career. He was closer to 96 last year. He was below 90 mph in spring training and posted a 7.20 ERA. In his lone regular season outing, he was at 91 mph and allowed six earned runs in a third of an inning.

Perhaps this shoulder discomfort provides an explanation for the diminished stuff but time will tell what sort of remedy will be required. With Estévez out, Lucas Erceg has been the closer. He has racked up ten saves but not in smooth fashion, having walked 17.7% of batters faced. Among pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched this year, only Connor Phillips of the Reds has a higher walk rate than that. Ideally, Estévez would come back and bump Erceg back to a setup role but it doesn’t seem like that will happen anytime soon.

Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images

Starting Pitcher Streamer Ranks Fantasy Baseball: 5/7 & 5/8 & 5/9

Nick Pollack — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:16:18 +0000

Best SP streamers and rankings for today & tomorrow & day after.

The post Starting Pitcher Streamer Ranks Fantasy Baseball: 5/7 & 5/8 & 5/9 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Gunnar Henderson’s Identity Crisis

Anthony Licciardi — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:00:08 +0000

Gunnar Henderson looks lost in the storm of his adjustments.

The post Gunnar Henderson’s Identity Crisis appeared first on Pitcher List.

Yankees Select Brendan Beck

Steve Adams — Thu, 07 May 2026 14:13:39 +0000

The Yankees announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Brendan Beck from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Right-hander Yerry de los Santos was optioned to Triple-A following last night’s game. New York already had a trio of 40-man roster vacancies. Their roster is now at 38.

Beck will be with the club for today’s afternoon tilt against the Rangers and could make his big league debut. Veteran righty Paul Blackburn is slated to start for the Yanks after Ryan Weathers was scratched due to illness. Beck, a starter with the Yankees’ top affiliate, could be a long relief option behind Blackburn, whose longest outing of the season has been three innings. Weathers will slot back into the rotation next week, manager Aaron Boone told reporters last night (link via ESPN’s Jorge Castillo). Weathers himself told the team’s beat that he got sick shortly after his last start and wound up losing nine pounds in under 48 hours (via SNY’s Chelsea Janes), so he’ll understandably be pushed back a few days as he regains strength.

The 27-year-old Beck — the younger brother of Giants righty Tristan Beck — was the Yankees’ second-round pick out of Stanford back in 2021. He’s a soft-tossing righty with plus command whose pro career has been marred by injuries. Beck required Tommy John surgery not long after being drafted and then missed all of the 2024 campaign due to another elbow surgery.

Beck returned from that second elbow procedure in 2025 and delivered a terrific season between Double-A and Triple-A, combining for 131 1/3 innings with a 3.36 ERA, a 23.6% strikeout rate and a 6.9% walk rate. He’s had an uneven start to his 2026 season, serving up a 5.11 ERA in 37 frames, but nearly all the damage against him thus far came in a pair of nightmare outings that saw him yield seven and eight runs. He’s held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in four of seven starts this year and is coming off a strong seven-inning outing against the Blue Jays’ top affiliate, where he held his opponents to a pair of runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

The Beck brothers, whose mother was born in England and whose grandfather was born in Wales, pitched for Great Britain’s team in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Brendan tossed four shutout innings with four strikeouts. This is his first career selection to the 40-man roster, so 2026 will be the first of three minor league option years for him. The Yankees can control Beck for at least six years beyond the current campaign.

Relief Pitcher Streamer Rankings Fantasy Baseball: 5/7

Rick Graham — Thu, 07 May 2026 14:10:52 +0000

The Best Reliever Streamers for Today with Updated Bullpen Usage Charts

The post Relief Pitcher Streamer Rankings Fantasy Baseball: 5/7 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Pages Leaves the Yard 3 Times – Fantasy Hitting Recap 5/6/26

Ben Solow — Thu, 07 May 2026 14:07:27 +0000

Breaking down notable hitting performances from yesterday’s games.

The post Pages Leaves the Yard 3 Times – Fantasy Hitting Recap 5/6/26 appeared first on Pitcher List.

MLB News & Moments: Andy Pages gets a hat trick

Pablo Figueroa — Thu, 07 May 2026 13:30:09 +0000

The Cubs only know how to win dramatically.

The post MLB News & Moments: Andy Pages gets a hat trick appeared first on Pitcher List.

The Opener: Cubs, Rays, Reynolds

Charlie Wright — Thu, 07 May 2026 13:06:18 +0000

Reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes flirted with history again on Wednesday. The big righty was perfect through 4 2/3 innings against the Diamondbacks, until he couldn’t make the play on a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. roller up the third base line. Nolan Arenado followed with a clean single, then Skenes retired the next 10 hitters.

1. Cubs walk it off again

A Michael Busch bases-loaded walk pushed across the winning run for the Cubs in the 10th inning last night. It was their third straight walk-off victory in an important NL Central battle against the Reds. Chicago has won seven in a row. Cincinnati is now last in the division after dropping the first three games of the series. The Reds’ 20-17 record would pace the AL Central, but it’s not enough to get out of the basement on the NL side. With a win on Thursday ahead of a nine-game road trip, the Cubs can go more than a month without losing at Wrigley Field.

2. Rays getting national spotlight

Tampa Bay shut out the Blue Jays on Wednesday behind a strong outing from Shane McClanahan. Ian Seymour slammed the door for his first career save. The Rays have now held opponents to three runs or less in 13 consecutive games, a new franchise record (per MLB). The streak will be on the line against the Red Sox on Thursday evening, with the nation watching. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN, marking the Rays’ first regular-season game on the network since 2021 (h/t Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). “It’s kind of like the ‘first time, long time’ caller on a talk radio station,” broadcaster Karl Ravech said. “It’s the first time, long time for the Rays on a national game for us.”

3. Reynolds joins elite company

Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds singled in the third inning of Wednesday’s matchup against Arizona, giving him 1,000 hits in his career. The 31-year-old is now the fifth Pittsburgh player to record 1,000 hits, 200 doubles, and 140 home runs (h/t Jason Mackey of MLB.com). Pirates legends Roberto Clemente, Andrew McCutchen, Dave Parker, and Willie Stargell round out the group. Reynolds has been a remarkably steady presence in the Pittsburgh lineup since becoming a full-time player in 2021. He’s reached 145 games and 600 plate appearances in five straight years. Before a lackluster 2025, Reynolds had been at least 10% better than league average at the plate during that stretch.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks: 5/7/26

Ryan Amore — Thu, 07 May 2026 13:00:42 +0000

Don't overlook Trent Grisham

The post Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks: 5/7/26 appeared first on Pitcher List.

The Shallows EP 013 – First Class Crew

Erik Hinrichsen — Thu, 07 May 2026 12:48:19 +0000

players with a great first month, pitching mirages, and a tribute

The post The Shallows EP 013 – First Class Crew appeared first on Pitcher List.

Roto Riteup: May 7, 2026

Vlad Sedler — Thu, 07 May 2026 11:30:18 +0000

Bad Framber, Baby Bangeliers, and too many Zacks. All that and more on today's Roto Riteup!

Source

Starts and Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball (May 4 - May 10)

Nick Mariano — Thu, 07 May 2026 11:25:56 +0000

With the calendars turning to May, we're positioned to make some sharper calls with the next starting pitcher starts/sits for fantasy baseball for the week ahead - Monday, May 4 through Sunday, May 10. This column provides readers with who is pitching, the opponent, and a confidence/startability score based on an array of trusted metrics. […]

TAA 9 – Creating Our Own Game Score

Nate Schwartz — Thu, 07 May 2026 11:15:46 +0000

Nate and Kyle talk about different versions of game score.

The post TAA 9 – Creating Our Own Game Score appeared first on Pitcher List.

Daily Fantasy Baseball News and Notes | First Pitch 5/7/26

Jake Crumpler — Thu, 07 May 2026 11:04:47 +0000

Everything you need to know to win your fantasy baseball league, daily

The post Daily Fantasy Baseball News and Notes | First Pitch 5/7/26 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup 5/6: A Flaherty For The Dramatic

Nick Pollack — Thu, 07 May 2026 06:26:10 +0000

Nick Pollack reviews every starting pitcher performance from Wednesday.

The post Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup 5/6: A Flaherty For The Dramatic appeared first on Pitcher List.

Starting Pitcher Chart – May 7th, 2026

Paul Sporer — Thu, 07 May 2026 04:52:54 +0000

Sparse board with plenty of potential pitfalls to be mindful of on a short slate Thursday

Source

Carlos Correa To Undergo Season-Ending Ankle Surgery

Steve Adams — Thu, 07 May 2026 04:39:53 +0000

The hits keep coming for the Astros. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that third baseman/shortstop Carlos Correa will require season-ending surgery to repair a left ankle injury. Correa was scratched from last night’s game and subsequently reported to have suffered a potentially major ankle injury. He was in the clubhouse today on crutches.

Correa himself told reporters in Houston that he suffered a torn tendon in his left ankle (video link via McTaggart). The requisite surgery to repair the injury will sideline him for the next six to eight months. (Notably, that’s not the ankle that caused enough medical concern to scuttle a pair of major free agent deals a few offseasons back.) As Correa explains, it was a freak incident:

“I was hitting in the cage — normal day, feeling great. I went through my whole routine, took a swing, and felt a pop. It just completely snapped on me, and then I fell to the ground, couldn’t put weight on it. Just a normal swing, but I felt a loud pop. I heard it. I felt it. I knew right away something was wrong.”

With Correa’s season over, the Astros will entrust shortstop to Nick Allen and Braden Shewmake for the time being. Both are light-hitting defensive specialists, though Shewmake took Shohei Ohtani deep for a go-ahead home run last night. Star shortstop Jeremy Peña is on the mend from a hamstring strain and will reclaim everyday shortstop work once healthy. Peña’s return would have pushed Correa back to third base, but the hot corner will now be manned by Isaac Paredes moving forward, with a resurgent Christian Walker at first base, Jose Altuve at second base and Yordan Alvarez at designated hitter.

Correa is the latest in a dizzying line of major Astros injuries. He joins not only Peña but Hunter Brown (shoulder strain), Josh Hader (biceps tendinitis), Yainer Diaz (oblique strain), Jake Meyers (oblique strain), Tatsuya Imai (arm fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder strain), Joey Loperfido (quad strain) and Taylor Trammell (groin strain) as Astros to suffer new injuries this season. The ‘Stros are also still without pitchers Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski and Brandon Walter, all three of whom underwent UCL surgery during the 2025 season.

Suffice it to say, the 2026 season hasn’t gone according to plan. Houston’s 15-22 record is the fifth-worst in Major League Baseball. Long-term absences for key players like Correa, Brown, Hader and Peña have conspired to dig an early hole from which they’ll be hard-pressed to climb out. The pitching, in particular, has been egregiously bad. Houston not only ranks last in the majors with a team-wide 5.65 ERA — they’re 64 points north of the 29th-ranked D-backs, who sit at a collective 5.01. The bullpen’s 6.20 ERA is the highest in MLB by nearly a full run over the 29th-ranked Angels (5.35). The rotation’s 5.13 ERA ranks 29th, narrowly leading Arizona (5.20).

The 2026 trade deadline is still just under three months away, but the mountain of injuries and a dismal pitching performance thus far makes it hard to envision the ‘Stros recovering — even with Alvarez and Walker combining to create one of the more formidable lineup duos in the game. The Astros will face some tough decisions at this year’s deadline, due not only to the current state of affairs but also an increasingly concerning long-term outlook that doesn’t create much optimism.

As for Correa, he’s still signed for another two seasons beyond the current year. He’ll earn $30.5MM in 2027 and $30MM in 2028, though the Twins are paying $10MM per year (2026-28) as part of the trade that sent Correa and more than $70MM of his remaining contract back to Houston. His six-year, $200MM deal also contains a quartet of vesting club options valued at $25MM, $20MM, $15MM and $10MM, spanning the 2029-32 seasons. Those options can vest based on the total plate appearances Correa logs in the immediately preceding season.

Cubs Re-Sign Vince Velasquez To Minor League Deal, Outright Yacksel Ríos

Anthony Franco — Thu, 07 May 2026 04:13:20 +0000

The Cubs re-signed righty Vince Velasquez to a minor league contract, per the MiLB.com transaction log. The tracker also indicates that reliever Yacksel Ríos cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment on Sunday.

Velasquez elected free agency last week following his own DFA. The 33-year-old had signed an offseason minor league deal with Chicago. He started three of four appearances with Iowa, allowing eight runs (seven earned) through 17 innings. He struck out 19 opponents while issuing nine walks and hitting a batter.

The Cubs brought Velasquez up for a long relief spot. He pitched 2 1/3 scoreless frames in a blowout loss to the Dodgers. That was his first MLB appearance in three years. Velasquez threw 31 pitches and wasn’t going to be available the next day, so the Cubs designated him for assignment to bring up a fresh arm (Ríos, coincidentally).

Ríos spent a week on Chicago’s active roster. He only got into one game, retiring all five batters faced with a pair of strikeouts against L.A. on April 26. That was also his first MLB outing since 2023. Ríos averaged 98.5 mph with his heater in that lone appearance. He’d posted more middling numbers with Iowa before he got called up, allowing six earned runs with an 8:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 10 2/3 frames.

The 32-year-old righty has a previous career outright on his résumé, meaning he can elect free agency. There’s a decent chance he’d follow the Velasquez path and return to the Cubs on a minor league deal even if he opts to test the market.

Dodgers Notes: Glasnow, Snell, Hernández

Anthony Franco — Thu, 07 May 2026 02:26:10 +0000

The Dodgers are sending Tyler Glasnow for a precautionary MRI after his early exit on Wednesday afternoon, manager Dave Roberts tells reporters (including Maddie Lee of The Los Angeles Times). The big righty felt a back spasm while warming up in the second inning of today’s start in Houston. The Dodgers got him out of the game at that point.

Roberts said the team doesn’t believe Glasnow will need a stint on the injured list. The pitcher said it’s a recurring issue which he battles a couple times per season. Glasnow had a minimal IL stint in 2024 due to lower back tightness and was scratched from a start last September with the same issue.

Glasnow allowed a leadoff home run to Brice Matthews before rebounding with strikeouts of Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes. He became the 45th active pitcher to reach 1000 career punchouts in the process. Glasnow has fanned just under a third of opponents en route to a 2.72 earned run average over his first seven starts.

The early exit forced the Dodgers to lean heavily on their bullpen. Jack Dreyer, Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt, Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott and the just activated Brock Stewart all pitched in what turned out to be a blowout 12-2 win. Los Angeles is off tomorrow and none of their relievers topped 27 pitches, so they may not need to make any changes to the staff heading into a weekend series against the NL-leading Braves.

L.A. entered play on Wednesday as one of the two teams (along with the Yankees) whose rotation had a sub-3.00 earned run average. Shohei Ohtani was the National League’s Pitcher of the Month for April. Justin Wrobleski is second in MLB behind Ohtani in ERA. Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have each pitched very well. Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan are the two of L.A.’s season-opening starters who have struggled.

That sextet has accounted for all of the Dodgers’ starts so far. That’ll likely change within the next 10 days. Blake Snell, out all season after offseason shoulder fatigue, is set for his final rehab appearance on Saturday with Low-A Ontario (via the MLB.com injury tracker). He’s expected to rejoin the MLB rotation after that, so he should make his season debut in the middle of next week.

The Dodgers have firmly maintained they view Sasaki as a starter even as the former NPB star struggled with walks and home runs throughout Spring Training and the early part of the regular season. They might be more willing to move Sheehan to the bullpen, though he has a much better strikeout and walk profile than Sasaki does. If Glasnow does require an IL stint, that’d take the decision out of the club’s hands.

In other injury news, utilityman Kiké Hernández began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City last night. Hernández began the season on the 60-day injured list after last fall’s elbow surgery. That officially rules him out until at least May 24. Position players can spend up to 20 days on a rehab assignment, so the Dodgers clearly anticipate Hernández being ready to go when he’s first eligible.

Barring a setback, he’ll return to the MLB roster on either May 24 or 25. The Dodgers have used Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim as their middle infield tandem with Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman both on the injured list. Santiago Espinal and fourth outfielder Alex Call occupy the final two spots on the bench. Call has a couple minor league options remaining but has been a productive short side platoon bat for the past couple seasons. Espinal, who broke camp after an offseason minor league deal, has more than five years of MLB service and can refuse an assignment to the minors.

Nick Sandlin Elects Free Agency

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 07 May 2026 01:20:45 +0000

May 6: Sandlin cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to the MLB.com transaction log. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he returns to the Halos on a fresh minor league contract.

May 4: The Angels announced that left-hander Sam Aldegheri has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake. In a corresponding move, right-hander Nick Sandlin has been designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Sandlin, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Halos in the offseason. He was added to the big league roster about three weeks ago. Since then, he has logged 8 2/3 innings but has unfortunately surrendered 11 earned runs in that time. He allowed nine hits, including two home runs. He walked five batters and hit another three while striking out five opponents.

The Angels have bumped him off the roster after those struggles. He has options but he just hit five years of big league service time in recent weeks. By getting to that line, he can no longer be optioned to the minors without his consent, hence the DFA. He can be in DFA limbo for as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Halos could take five days to field trade interest, but they could also put him on waivers sooner than that.

Sandlin does have some major league success but the past year or so has been rough for him. From 2021 to 2025, he logged 211 2/3 innings in the show with a 3.19 earned run average. His 11.4% walk rate was high but he struck out 27.3% of batters faced. Injuries hobbled him with the Jays last year. He made trips to the injured list for a lat strain and then later for elbow inflammation. He only tossed 16 1/3 innings around those IL stints. The Jays outrighted him in November and Sandlin elected free agency.

The Angels were hoping for a bounceback but couldn’t get it. He started his season with a 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3 Triple-A innings but with poor underlying metrics. That low ERA was mostly a byproduct of a .222 batting average on balls in play and 87.5% strand rate. When he got called up to the majors, his results regressed to an extreme degree.

If Sandlin clears waivers, he would have the right to elect free agency. His recent form has been rough but some clubs may be interested in signing him to a minor league deal, hoping he can get back to his previous form with some regular reps.

Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images

Daniel Johnson Elects Free Agency

Anthony Franco — Thu, 07 May 2026 00:24:08 +0000

Daniel Johnson elected free agency after being outrighted by the Astros, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Houston designated him for assignment on Monday when they recalled Zach Cole from Triple-A.

Johnson appeared in eight games, collecting two hits and walks apiece over 17 plate appearances. The lefty-hitting outfielder has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons but has fewer than 200 career trips to the dish. Johnson owns a .191/.249/.306 line with five home runs in 75 games, striking out at a 28% clip along the way.

The New Mexico State product began this year with the Marlins on a minor league contract. Johnson didn’t get to the Majors with Miami but spent a couple weeks in the bigs with Houston given their need for a left-handed hitting outfielder. He’s a .255/.321/.448 hitter in nearly 1800 plate appearances over parts of seven Triple-A campaigns.

Fernando Tatis Jr.’s Power Outage

Charlie Wright — Wed, 06 May 2026 23:49:25 +0000

The Padres are 36 games into their season. Outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is still searching for his first home run. The 27-year-old has yet to leave the yard despite hitting the ball harder than just about everyone. Tatis was slugging .305 heading into Wednesday, nearly 200 points below his career mark. He has six extra-base hits in 148 plate appearances.

Tatis isn’t going to get shut out in the home run column all season. He’s recorded 12 barrels, which should’ve translated to around a half-dozen homers, based on the rate those batted-ball events tend to leave the yard. Luis Rengifo has the second-most barrels without a home run at six. Last season, Jose Tena had the most barrels without a home run, also with six. If he continues to barrel the ball at a 12.5% clip, Tatis will get on the board before long.

Since his 42-homer season in 2021, Tatis has been more of a mid-20s guy in the power department. He has exactly 25 dingers in his two full campaigns during that stretch. Injuries and an 80-game PED suspension sidelined Tatis for all of 2022. A stress fracture in his leg cost him two months in 2024, but he still hit 21 home runs in 102 games. Even as Tatis’ combination of power and speed has trended toward the latter, he’s still been an extremely productive offensive force. The outfielder has had a wRC+ above 130 in each of the past two seasons.

Tatis has slashed .250/.320/.305 through 34 games. He’s been 20% worse than league average at the plate by wRC+. And that’s with a .337 BABIP, his highest since his rookie season. So, what’s gone wrong for the superstar?

Suboptimal directional contact

The easiest way to turn loud contact into a parade of singles is to use the whole field. Tatis had been almost exactly league average in terms of directional contact for his career. His pulled, up the middle, and opposite field contact rates have seldom skewed more than 5% off of the league norm. Tatis has upended that trend this season. He’s pulling the ball just 20.8% of the time (per Statcast), well below the league average of 37.4% and nowhere near his career mark of 37.7%. Tatis is going up the middle at a massive 46.9% clip, nearly 10% higher than league average. He’s using the opposite field on 32.3% of his batted balls, a nearly 7% jump from his previous career high (25.4% in 2024).

Using the whole field isn’t inherently bad, particularly when you rank in the 99th percentile in hard-hit rate. Tatis has a solid .280 expected batting average, which ranks in the 82nd percentile. It’s just not the ideal path toward turning hard hits into damage.

Decline in fly balls

Tatis isn’t just spraying the ball more than ever. He’s also hitting it on the ground at a career-high 52.1% rate. Tatis has typically leaned slightly higher than average on grounders, but his lifetime mark was only a couple of percentage points above the league average of 44.2%. Tatis still provided plenty of power with a 49.0% groundball rate in 2025, which was a career-high at the time. He posted a sub-20% line drive rate for the first time as a big leaguer, but his fly ball rate remained intact last season.

The jump in groundballs has come at the expense of fly balls this year. Tatis’ line drive rate is up to 28.1%, the best of his career. He’s trimmed his pop-up rate to 3.1%. But Tatis is lifting the ball at just a 16.7% clip, a 9% drop from his career average, and well below the leaguewide mark of 24.1%. He’s also pulling the ball in the air at a career-low 5.2% rate. It’s the eighth-lowest mark among qualified hitters. The bottom 10 in pulled air rate is littered with no-power speedsters like Victor Scott II, Chandler Simpson, Jake Mangum, and Luisangel Acuna. It’s not the kind of group you want to be in, particularly as a high-impact offensive contributor.

Bump in strikeouts

Tatis entered the league with a swing-and-miss issue. He had a strikeout rate near 30% with a concerning 67.1% contact rate as a rookie. Even during the massive 2021 season, when he finished third in NL MVP voting, Tatis struck out at a bloated 28.0% rate. He had the fifth-lowest contact rate among qualified hitters. While the power has ticked down in recent seasons, Tatis has also made more contact. He was in the low-20s for strikeout rate in 2023 and 2024. The 2025 campaign saw him punch out at just a 18.7% clip.

The strikeout rate has jumped back up to 25.0% in 2026. Tatis’ called strike + swinging strike rate is at 26.9%, his highest since 2021. His whiff rate is above 30% for the first time in three seasons. These numbers are in line with the first three seasons of Tatis’ career, but he was a premier power bat in those years.

Now what?

The Padres handed Tatis a 14-year, $340MM extension heading into the 2021 season. It gets more expensive the longer it goes. Tatis will be making $36MM a year from 2029 through 2032. He’s generally been worth the money up to this point, lost 2022 season aside. Tatis has been a 5+ WAR player (per Baseball Reference) in 2021, 2023, and 2025. He has two Gold Gloves for his splendid work in right field, and he’s chipped in some additional defensive value by playing second base this year. It’d be nice if he hit more like a corner outfielder than a second baseman.

Tatis appears to be himself from a physical perspective. His bat speed remains elite at 74.6 mph, and his fast swing rate is higher than ever (51.1%). His stance is a bit more closed, and he’s standing slightly further back from the plate, but he hasn’t made any massive changes with his setup. Tatis’ intercept point is much closer to the plate than normal, which explains the change in contact direction. His sprint speed is right in line with the past couple of years. He’s not broken. He’s just been the worst parts of his previous selves in 2026.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images

Matthew Boyd To Undergo Meniscus Surgery

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 06 May 2026 22:25:33 +0000

Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd is going to undergo surgery to address an injury to the meniscus in his left knee. His current timetable is unknown. Manager Craig Counsell provided the update to reporters, including Jesse Rogers of ESPN. After Counsell spoke, the Cubs officially placed him on the 15-day injured list. Right-hander Trent Thornton was selected to take Boyd’s spot on the roster. Left-hander Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Thornton. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported that Thornton would be coming up prior to the official announcement.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images