Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Andrew Painter took the loss on Wednesday against Triple-A Charlotte, as he allowed four runs on six hits and four walks over four innings. He struck out five. Most of the damage came on a solo homer in the first inning and then a two-run shot in the second. Neither of the homers was exactly smoked, with the first one leaving the bat at 91 MPH. Aside from some lapses in control with four walks, he ran into a bit of bad luck. The top prospect still generated plenty of whiffs, recording 13 on 52 swings and getting multiple on each of his four pitches. There wasn't a ton of hard contact as he allowed an 84.5 MPH exit velocity on balls in play. With this outing, he holds a 3.90 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 37:12 K:BB in 32.1 innings. The right-hander should be expected to come up to the majors sometime in the summer.

From RotoBaller

Toronto Blue Jays infield prospect Orelvis Martinez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored against Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. It marked the second straight day with a home run after yesterday's two-homer outburst. He has matched his home run total from all of May in three days in June and looks to be rounding into form. Martinez slugged 28 homers in 125 games with good walk and strikeout rates in 2023. After a lost 2024 season with the suspension, Martinez has scuffled over the first two months, but has big-time power and could be called up at some point in the summer. He would be worthy of a speculative add in deeper formats.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox second base prospect Vaughn Grissom went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 9-1 win against Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday. Grissom's 437-foot blast marked his first home run since April 18. May was overall a month to forget for the 24-year-old, as he slashed just .218/.303/.264. He has made solid quality of contact for the season with a 43.2 percent hard-hit rate and has continued to stay active on the basepaths with six steals. The Red Sox have dealt with multiple injuries in the infield, and it could be possible that he is called up to fill in at some point. He would only be relevant in deep leagues or an AL-only league.

From RotoBaller

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz had another productive night Wednesday in the team's 3-0 victory against the Houston Astros. Cruz finished 2-for-4 with a double and two stolen bases, giving him 22 steals on the season. He leads the majors in SBs and has already tied the career-best mark he set last year over 146 games. Along with his prowess on the bases, Cruz has notched a sturdy .827 OPS with 12 homers, 26 RBI, and 35 runs scored in 232 plate appearances. However, Cruz has tallied just seven hits and one HR in 52 at-bats versus left-handed pitchers this year. That's not ideal going into Thursday's showdown with Astros southpaw Framber Valdez.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Twins hurler Pablo Lopez (shoulder) has a Grade 2 strain of the Teres Major in his right shoulder and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Lopez was ticketed for the 15-day injured list after exiting his start against the Athletics on Tuesday with a lat strain. However, there was hope that Lopez would not miss significant time. Unfortunately for the Twins and fantasy managers, Lopez will instead hit the shelf for the foreseeable future. It's possible he won't pitch again this year if he faces setbacks in his rehab. Before suffering the injury, the 29-year-old got off to a fast start this season with 60 2/3 innings of 2.82 ERA ball and 61:14 K:BB. Righty David Festa, who has 16 big league starts under his belt, will likely take Lopez's spot in the Twins' rotation for now. Festa has recorded a 4.31 ERA in 77 1/3 innings in the majors.

From RotoBaller

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale (3-4) took his fourth loss of the season in a 2-1 defeat against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Sale was outstanding despite a lack of run support, tossing six innings of three-hit, one-run ball with 10 strikeouts and four walks. The reigning National League Cy Young winner owned a 6.00-plus ERA for a large chunk of April, but that number has shrunk below 3.00 with a run of dominance over the past month-plus. Sale has now racked up four straight quality starts. Over that span, Sale has combined for 26 innings, allowed three runs on 14 hits, and amassed 32 strikeouts against 10 walks. His season ERA sits at 2.93 with 96 punchouts and 23 walks through 73 2/3 frames. The 36-year-old ace will go on the road to challenge the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward belted his 17th home run of the season on Wednesday in an 11-9 loss to the Boston Red Sox. With two runners on in the top of the first inning, Ward crushed a changeup from right-hander Lucas Giolito 383 feet over the Green Monster. It was the sole hit for Ward during a 1-for-4 afternoon, though he did add a fourth RBI on a sacrifice fly. Along with his lofty HR total, Ward ranks near the top of the league in RBI (42) this season. However, a dismal average (.214) and a low on-base percentage (.265) have limited the 31-year-old to an unspectacular .762 OPS through 257 plate appearances. He'll face Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller on Friday. Their matchups have gone well for Ward, who is 4-for-10 with two doubles, a homer, three strikeouts, and a walk against Miller.

From RotoBaller

Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd (5-3) suffered his third loss of the year in a 2-0 decision against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Although Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore outdueled Boyd, the Chicago southpaw was terrific in his own right. He chipped in 7 1/3 innings of two-run, four-hit ball while striking out six and issuing only one walk. Boyd, who has totaled five quality starts in six chances since the beginning of May, is thriving in his first season as a Cub. The 34-year-old has logged a 3.01 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 16 walks in 68 2/3 innings. He'll go on the road to face a formidable Philadelphia Phillies offense on Monday.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe collected three hits on Wednesday to help the team to a 5-4 win over the Texas Rangers. Lowe went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, two RBI, and an additional run scored. Although Lowe got off to a sluggish start this season, his production has improved dramatically since the beginning of May. Overall, the 30-year-old has slashed .251/.302/.451 with 12 HRs and 33 RBI in 232 plate appearances. He leads all second basemen in both categories and is well on his way to a third straight season of 20-plus HRs. The lefty-swinging Lowe will try to keep rolling Thursday against Rangers righty Jack Leiter.

From RotoBaller

MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports that New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (hamstring) is dealing with a low-grade hamstring strain. He will receive 10 to 14 days of treatment before restarting baseball activities, which means he won't be ready to return from the 10-day injured list when he's eligible, and we might not see him back with the Mets until late June or early July. The Mets called up infield prospect Ronny Mauricio with Vientos hurt, and he should see plenty of playing time at the hot corner in the next couple of weeks. In addition to his recent hamstring injury, Vientos has been a pretty big disappointment so far this year after breaking out with 27 home runs and 71 RBI in 111 games played in 2024 in his third year in the league. If Vientos continues to struggle at the plate when he returns, he could lose additional playing time in favor of Mauricio or even Brett Baty.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Travis Jankowski cleared waivers on Wednesday and elected free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment to the minors leagues after returning from the 10-day injured list with a strained left groin. Jankowski was valuable to the Rays earlier this season when the team was dealing with multiple injuries to starting outfielders, but he'll now seek another opportunity elsewhere in 2025. Wherever the 33-year-old surfaces, he'll merely be providing outfield depth with some speed if he gets another shot in the big leagues. The former 44th overall pick by the San Diego Padres in 2012 began the year with the Chicago White Sox and has gone 11-for-45 (.244) with no homers, two RBI and two steals in 21 combined games with Chicago and Tampa. Jankowski is a career .236 hitter with only 11 homers, 98 RBI and 104 steals in 702 big-league games since 2015.

From RotoBaller

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (groin) took a foul ball off his groin in the ninth inning in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the hosting Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre and was removed from the game early. Realmuto was down on the ground for a few minutes before walking into the clubhouse under a trainer's assistance. Before departing prematurely, the veteran backstop went 1-for-3 at the plate with a single and a strikeout. It's likely that the 34-year-old will be held out of Thursday's series finale in Toronto, but Realmuto could return to action this weekend for a series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Any time missed by Realmuto would push Rafael Marchan into a starting role behind the plate. Realmuto came into Wednesday's contest hitting just .225 with five home runs, 22 RBI, 18 runs and four steals in his 187 at-bats, although his xBA of .252 points to positive regression going forward.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run walk-off homer on Wednesday to send the Red Sox to an 11-9 victory over the Angels. It wasn't a monster shot by any means, as it was a 308-foot floater down the line to the Pesky Pole. Fenway is the only major league park where that ball would have left the yard, but Rafaela certainly isn't complaining about his sixth home run of the year. The speedy center fielder is now slashing .252/.296/.411 to go along with his six home runs and seven stolen bases. His expected stats suggest even better days may be ahead, with a .274 xBA and .491 xSLG that are better than their actual counterparts.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven in a 2-0 win over the Cubs on Wednesday. He allowed three hits and walked one. This was his second straight scoreless outing and third straight quality start, lowering his ERA to 2.87. The strikeout specialist has been one of the most effective pitchers in baseball this season, allowing more than three runs in an outing only twice while posting an elite 35.4% strikeout rate. The 26-year-old finally seems to be breaking out and should be viewed at least as a top-30 option at the position moving forward. He'll look to keep the scoreless streak alive in his next start, currently set to be against the Mets.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio went 3-for-5 at the dish with his 10th home run of the season in a 9-1 win against the Reds on Wednesday. He also collected two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base. He's now slashing .260/.286/.446 with 10 home runs, 37 RBI, 39 runs, and 12 stolen bases. That puts him at a 162-game pace of 26 home runs and 31 steals, which is definitely what fantasy managers were hoping for when they drafted him in the second round. The batting average and on-base percentage leave something to be desired, but the youngster was batting .316 over the past two weeks heading into the day. He remains a top-10 outfielder for fantasy purposes.

From RotoBaller

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, one run scored, and one RBI in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Marlins. He has been on fire as of late, with six extra-base hits in his past three games and 13 at-bats. The 25-year-old is now slashing .281/.328/.491 with 10 home runs, 36 RBI, and 30 runs, making him the second most valuable catcher in standard 5x5 roto leagues behind only Cal Raleigh. While it's unlikely that he finishes the season as the second-best catcher, it's safe to say that he is a top-12 option at the position from here on out. The slugger started at DH and hit third in the lineup on Wednesday, which is an arrangement that has helped him accumulate the fourth-most plate appearances among all backstops.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman (ankle) is missing from the lineup on Wednesday due to a tweaked ankle, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. While the injury doesn't sound serious in nature, it's worth noting that this is the same ankle that landed Edman on the injured list from April 30 to May 18. While the 30-year-old is considered day-to-day for now, there's enough of a concern that Esteury Ruiz is with the team on the taxi squad in case another trip to the injured list is necessary. He was just getting back into the swing of things as of late, with at least one hit in five of his last seven games.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (back) was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with back tightness. Brooks Lee, who was originally getting the night off, will start at shortstop in his place. The severity of the injury is not yet clear, but hopefully it's just a day-to-day issue. Correa has struggled to stay on the field over the course of his career, playing in at least 135 games only four times out of nine full-length seasons. The 30-year-old has played in 52 games so far in 2025 but has slashed just .241/.285/.380. More details on the severity of the injury may come out after the game.

From RotoBaller

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (concussion) has returned to full baseball activities but is still in the league's concussion protocol, according to senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Bart is making progress but isn't ready to be cleared while being monitored on a day-by-day basis. When he's finally cleared, the Pirates and doctors will determine whether he'll need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment. Before suffering a head injury on a backswing last Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bart was hitting .240 with a home run, 11 RBI and a .347 on-base percentage as Pittsburgh's primary catcher through 44 games. Since Bart went on the seven-day concussion injured list, Henry Davis has started five of the six games behind the dish for the Bucs.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (quadriceps) said his recovery from a right-quadriceps strain is going at "warp speed." "About 10 times better," Bregman said on Tuesday. Although an MRI exam showed that his injury was similar to a left-quad strain that kept him out for almost 10 weeks in 2021 with the Houston Astros, it looks like the 31-year-old veteran won't miss nearly that much time this time around. His recovery is going well, but both Bregman and the Red Sox aren't putting a timeline on his return from the 10-day injured list. All fantasy managers can do is stash Bregman in an IL spot and hope he's as productive as he was at the plate when he eventually returns. In the meantime, rookie Marcelo Mayer has been filling in at the hot corner in Beantown against right-handed pitchers. Bregman was hitting .299 with 11 homers, 35 RBI and 32 runs in 197 at-bats at the time of his injury.

From RotoBaller