Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed pitching prospect Cristian Mena turned in his best start of the Triple-A campaign on Thursday against Sugar Land. The right-hander logged five 1/3 innings of work and did not allow a run. He served up just two hits and one walk. He struck out seven batters. This was a strong bounce-back outing for Mena as he posted a high 8.53 ERA with a 1.74 WHIP over his last 19 innings (four starts). During this stretch, the No. 13-ranked prospect in the Arizona system held a 24:8 K:BB and allowed five long balls. Mena was given a brief taste of the majors this season and logged three 2/3 shutout innings. If Mena continues to find his footing at Reno, he should be in the mix to have a more extended stint in the majors.

From RotoBaller

Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect Justin Crawford went 2-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base during Thursday's contest against Triple-A Syracuse. This was Crawford's first long ball of the Triple-A regular season. This outing also extended his current hitting streak to three games. During this stretch, he has tallied at least one extra-base hit in each contest. Through 36 games this season, Crawford has been swinging a hot bat at Triple-A, holding a stellar .316/.379/.428 slash line with 10 doubles and two triples. Crawford has swiped 13 bags and held a 35:16 K:BB. The former 17th overall pick should be in the mix to make his MLB debut in the coming weeks given his impressive start to the season.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski threw seven innings, allowing only one run on four hits and one walk while striking out five against Triple-A Memphis on Thursday. He did not factor into the decision. Following up on a dominant outing in his last start with a season-best 11 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings, the right-hander has lowered his season ERA to 1.46 to go with a 0.89 WHIP. He's also been more efficient with his pitch count as he needed just 86 pitches for seven frames. An encouraging sign for the 23-year-old is his continued improvement in limiting walks. While his 11% walk rate is still not a strength, it's a notable improvement from 14.4% last season. The flame-thrower continued to light up the radar gun, as he sat at 98.3 MPH on the fastball and maxed out at a blistering 103 MPH. MLB.com's number 72 overall prospect should be expected to be promoted at some point this summer and is worth stashing in standard leagues.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Twins outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez went 3-for-7 with two doubles, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored in Thursday's doubleheader against Triple-A Iowa. The 22-year-old has gotten off to a relatively slow start, slashing .242/.385/.384. Rodriguez cruised through multiple levels of the Twins' minor league system last season with a monster line of .280/.459/.567 with a 181 wRC+. The strikeout rate has been an issue for the top prospect as it has ballooned to 35.7% so far this season. However, he has begun to heat up a bit in May with a 1.020 OPS in 34 AB. He could make his debut at some point later in the season and presents an intriguing power and speed profile, although expectations should be tempered with his struggles making contact. Rodriguez is currently ranked as the number 32 overall prospect on MLB.com.

From RotoBaller

Miami Marlins third base prospect Deyvison De Los Santos went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run against Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday. The slugger hit his fifth home run of the season to bring his season slash line to .252/.319/.401 with a 92 wRC+ over 39 games in Triple-A. De Los Santos has struggled more lately, batting just .174 and striking out 15 times in 46 ABs in May. The 22-year-old is still hitting the ball hard with a 47.9% HardHit% and has a path to making his big league debut sometime in the near future. His 70-grade power would make him an interesting speculative pickup in various formats. He is currently ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Marlins system on MLB.com.

From RotoBaller

Dodgers' DH Shohei Ohtani had six RBIs going 2-for-5 with two home runs in a 19-2 win over the Athletics on Thursday, May. 15.

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Hyeseong Kim was all over the score sheet on Thursday, helping dismantle the Athletics in a 19-2 win. Kim had a fantastic all-around day, going 3-for-3 with a double, two walks, four runs scored, two RBI, and a stolen base. The 26-year-old has continued hitting the ball well after starting the season hot in the minors, slashing .429/.467/.571 with a homer and three steals in 28 at-bats. Although it is unlikely that Kim will continue to hit at this level, he might be able to sustain a decent batting average and steal a good amount of bases, which certainly has its value. He is also hitting in a loaded Dodgers lineup, which should help his counting stats. Don't expect anything crazy, but grabbing Kim in deeper leagues isn't the worst idea if average and speed are big needs.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani had another huge day at the plate on Thursday, going 2-for-5 with a pair of homers and six RBI in a 19-2 demolition of the Athletics. Ohtani hit a three-run blast in the third and a two-run shot in the fourth, helping to put this game out of reach early. He has been scorching hot at the dish in May, going 19-for-53 with eight homers and 18 RBI. So much for the early-season "slump" he had. Ohtani is now up to a .310 AVG, 48 runs, 15 homers, 28 RBI, and 10 steals on the season. The 15 homers tie him with Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber for the league lead. He is well on his way to a fourth MVP.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger did all the damage on Thursday, smoking a solo homer in a 1-0 win over the Houston Astros. Burger finished the day 2-for-3, as he was one of two hitters to reach base for the Rangers in this one. The 29-year-old had a dreadful start to his season, getting sent to the minors in early May, but has gotten a hit in each of his four games since being called back up. His overall numbers still don't look good, as he holds a .214 AVG with 14 runs, four homers, and 15 RBI over 112 at-bats, but Burger is extremely streaky and could go on a home run binge at any point. He is worth picking up in any category leagues as he will likely provide you plenty of power at some point.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong slammed the door on the Houston Astros on Thursday, picking up his second save in a 1-0 win. Armstrong was tasked with finishing off Jacob deGrom's masterpiece, and succeeded in doing so by pitching around a two-out walk. With Chris Martin and Luke Jackson both nursing minor injuries, Armstrong has reaped the benefits by picking up the last two Rangers saves. The 34-year-old has performed well this year, so it is possible that manager Bruce Bochy decides to stick with Armstrong even when those two return. He's worthy of a speculative pick-up in deeper leagues where saves are valuable, just to see where this situation goes.

From RotoBaller

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown was dealt a tough-luck loss on Thursday against the Texas Rangers, tossing eight one-run innings in a 1-0 defeat. Brown actually threw a complete game in this one, albeit only eight innings. He allowed just three hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out nine. The only damage came on a Jake Burger solo shot in the sixth, in what was the only offense of the day for either team. Although the result is unfortunate, Brown continues to show that his breakout is for real. The 26-year-old now has a 6-2 record with a 1.43 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 67 strikeouts over 56 IP. He also has quality starts in eight of his nine starts this year and has been a model of consistency. Brown should be considered a premier pitcher in fantasy, and his owners have to be feeling good after drafting him outside of the top 100 picks.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom tossed a gem on Thursday, shutting out the Houston Astros for eight innings and picking up his fourth win of the season in a 1-0 victory. The righty was dominant in this one, allowing just five hits and a walk while punching out seven. He threw a season-high 96 pitches, and the velocity on his fastball and slider were both up, two signs that he is beginning to feel like his old self. Even with deGrom returning from Tommy John surgery, he has been one of the best pitchers in the majors this year. He has a 4-1 record to go with a 2.29 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts in 51 IP. The 36-year-old might not be the most dominant pitcher in the league like he once was, but he is still one of the best when he takes the mound.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a stolen base, and two runs scored in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Braves. This was the dual-threat's sixth home run and ninth stolen base of the year to go along with a .317/.379/.548 slash line in 32 games. The speedster didn't let his 10-game trip to the injured list with a hip flexor strain slow him down, with four of his stolen bases coming after he was activated on April 24th. He's one of the few players in the game who has legitimate 20 home run and 40 stolen base upside.

From RotoBaller

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias recorded his seventh save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Nationals on Thursday. He allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. This broke a streak of three straight appearances where he allowed at least one run. The 35-year-old has an unsightly 5.71 ERA and 1.40 WHIP on the year, which is a far cry from the 1.95 ERA and 0.74 WHIP he posted in 2024. He still has plenty of job security as the Braves closer, but he may not be the elite option anymore that he's shown to be in the past.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Blake Treinen (forearm) is going to start playing catch in the next few days, according to manager Dave Roberts. Treinen is reportedly pain-free, which is good news for the right-hander. He last pitched in a game on April 13 and is expected to return sometime in mid-June. Before suffering his forearm strain, he recorded two saves with 10 strikeouts and three walks in eight innings.

From RotoBaller

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Martinez threw seven shutout frames and earned the win in a 7-1 victory over the White Sox on Thursday. He allowed two hits and struck out three. This was a nice rebound after allowing 10 hits in his previous outing, and this was his fourth straight start of at least six innings pitched. The veteran now has a 3.66 ERA on the season with 40 strikeouts and 11 walks in 51 innings. He won't blow you away with strikeout totals, but he's proven to be an innings-eater with decent enough ratios to be rostered in fantasy. He's lined up for a nice matchup in his next time out against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Landon Knack is the front-runner to be the Dodgers' fifth starter, according to manager Dave Roberts. Despite posting a 5.89 ERA and 1.53 WHIP this season, he will get the opportunity to stick in the rotation with Roki Sasaki landing on the injured list. His one good start of the season came on May 7 when he threw five shutout innings against the Marlins, and he'll look to find that level of success again in his next start, which will likely be against the Diamondbacks.

From RotoBaller

Athletics outfielder JJ Bleday is out of Thursday's lineup against the Dodgers. Seth Brown is starting in center field instead. This is just a rare day off for the 27-year-old, who has played in 41 of the A's 43 games this season. He is slashing .216/.308/.399 with six home runs, 18 RBI, and 26 runs on the year. He remains a fine option in five-outfielder leagues thanks to his everyday playing time and counting stat accumulation.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take the day off for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Athletics. Top prospect Dalton Rushing will do the catching for right-handed opener Matt Sauer for the first start of his career and will hit seventh against A's right-hander Osvaldo Bido. Fantasy managers that have Smith rostered shouldn't be worried that Rushing is going to steal playing time away from him, as Smith should continue to see the vast majority of playing time behind the dish in L.A. The 30-year-old two-time All-Star has been one of the best fantasy catchers yet again through his first 111 at-bats in 2025, slashing .324/.435/.477 with a .912 OPS, three home runs, 21 RBI, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases in one of the best lineups in baseball. Smith should be back behind the dish for Friday's series opener against the crosstown-rival Los Angeles Angels.

From RotoBaller

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) remains on the 10-day injured list and is out of the team's starting lineup for Thursday's divisional contest against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Catcher Victor Caratini will serve as the DH and will hit sixth against Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom. Although Alvarez was able to hit in the batting cage before Thursday's game, the Astros will keep the 27-year-old All-Star on the IL for another day as a precaution. He should be able to return to Houston's starting lineup at some point this weekend during the four-game set against Texas, though. When he does return, fantasy managers are hoping that the muscle strain in his hand is in the rearview mirror and he can start producing at the plate after a rough start with a .210/.306/.340 slash line in his first 100 at-bats in 2025.

From RotoBaller