Fantasy Baseball News, Stats and Analysis (2024)

Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Multi-hit effort in rehab game

5m ago

Ruiz (wrist) played seven innings in left field during Single-A Stockton's loss to Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, going 2-for-3 with an RBI sacrifice fly.

Ruiz had gotten Saturday off after playing a full game at DH on Friday, but he encouragingly put in another robust workload on defense Sunday. Ruiz's mastery over Single-A arms continued as well, as he hit safely for the fourth time in as many rehab games. It's certainly possible Ruiz may be deemed ready for activation coming out of the All-Star break despite not having made any appearances at a higher-level affiliate during his assignment.

Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Replaced on ASG roster

7h ago

Helsley was replaced Monday by Kyle Finnegan on the National League All-Star Game roster.

Helsley indicated to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he wasn't likely to pitch in Tuesday's All-Star Game and instead wished to take the full break for rest and recovery. The 29-year-old closer confirmed he was healthy and is merely monitoring his workload, having already appeared in 41 games and thrown 42.0 innings this season. Helsley's career high in appearances is 54, and he hasn't pitched more than 64.2 innings in an individual season.

Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Late addition to ASG

8h ago

Finnegan was named an All-Star Monday and will join the National League team for Tuesday's All-Star game.

Finnegan wasn't initially listed as an All-Star, but he'll wind up receiving the honors and joining the NL team ahead of Tuesday's game in place of Ryan Helsley. The 32-year-old has the third most saves in baseball (25) and has recorded a 2.45 ERA across 40.1 innings pitched. It's Finnegan's first All-Star selection.

Angels' Mike Trout: Aiming to return by end of July

8h ago

Trout (knee) has been swinging a bat as part of his rehab activities and is targeting a return to action by the end of July, per the Associated Press.

Trout hasn't yet done work in the outfield, but he's anticipating being able to rejoin the Angels at the end of July. The future Hall of Famer told Bally Sports West, "I'm pretty sure it's going to be pretty soon" when referring to a potential return, though he didn't specify a date. Trout hasn't played in a game since going 0-for-3 against Philadelphia on April 29. It's not yet clear if he'll play in any minor-league rehab games prior to rejoining the big club.

Yankees' Ben Rice: Clubs clutch homer Sunday

8h ago

Rice went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in a loss to the Orioles on Sunday.

Rice was hitless through four at-bats but came through when it mattered most, swatting a three-run homer in the ninth inning off Baltimore closer Craig Kimbrel to give New York a 5-3 lead. That result didn't hold, as the Orioles plated three runs in the bottom of the frame to pull out the victory, but Rice's heroics still stand out. While the rookie is batting just .228 on the campaign, he's shown a flair for the big moment, batting .280 with runners in scoring position and already adding a three-homer game to his big-league resume.

Yankees' Clay Holmes: Let down by defense in blown save

9h ago

Holmes (1-4) took the loss and blew the save against Baltimore on Sunday, allowing three unearned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one batter over two-thirds of an inning.

In a roller-coaster ninth inning, New York scored three runs in the top of the frame to take a 5-3 lead. Holmes entered to try to close things out in the bottom of the inning but couldn't get the job done, giving up three runs, the final two of which came on a Cedric Mullins walk-off double. Though he didn't pitch particularly well, it would be unfair to pin the blame entirely on Holmes for the dramatic defeat, as a two-out error by Anthony Volpe allowed a run to score and kept the frame alive for Mullins' double, which had an xBA of .150, per Statcast -- Alex Verdugo took a terrible route to the ball and pinned the blame on himself for the result after the game, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. It was nonetheless a poor end to the first half of the campaign for Holmes, who has blown two of his past four save chances while giving up five runs (two earned) across four frames during that span.