American League
In The Field
American League
OF Seth Smith remains day-to-day with a lingering hamstring injury and could be headed to the DL. Smith owners in deeper formats will likely need to look elsewhere this week. Red Sox' OF Jackie Bradley was activated from the DL on Friday after recovering from a hyperextended knee. Bradley is a solid OF option in most leagues this week. 2B Dustin Pedroia is day-to-day after being spiked in the calf in Saturday's game. He should be fine for the upcoming week but monitor his status just to be safe. Keep an eye on SS Xavier Bogaerts status as the young infielder has been dealing with a jammed thumb. Bogaerts will likely be fine for this week and as long as he remains in the Red Sox' lineup he should be active in yours. 3B Todd Frazier continued to battle a bad case of the flu for the better part of last week but returned to the lineup on Friday. Frazier should be fine after returning to action over the weekend, but one has to wonder if he'll be 100% for awhile. Consider other options at third until Frazier shows signs of bouncing back. White Sox catcher Geovany Soto is expected to return from his elbow injury at some point this week. Once Soto returns, he'll be worth a look in AL-only formats. 2B Jason Kipnis was activated from the DL on Friday after missing the start of the season with a shoulder injury. The weekend should provide Kipnis the chance to knock off some of the rust and he'll be worth a look in fantasy lineups this week. SS Jose Iglesias was placed on the 7-day concussion DL on Friday which will keep him out of action until at least next weekends slate of games. Iglesias is a glove-first SS anyway and is hard to trust offensively in fantasy lineups even when healthy. Dixon Machado will get the nod at short with Iglesias out but isn't a recommended pick up right now. OF Justin Upton was back in the Tigers' lineup on Friday after missing two games last week with a bruised forearm. Upton is a viable play in most fantasy leagues this week. OF J.D. Martinez has been cleared for batting practice but his broken foot continues to limit him as he hasn't been cleared for baserunning and fielding drills. Keep stashing Martinez who won't return before the end of the month. 1B Miguel Cabrera continues to deal with lingering back soreness and was placed on the 10-day DL on Saturday with a groin strain. Age might be taking it's toll on the big sluggers body but owners must keep him stashed away until he's eligible to return on May 2nd. It remains to be seen how the Tigers will fill the 1B spot but there's not much in the way of intriguing fantasy options there. OF George Springer is day-to-day after leaving yesterday's game with a hamstring injury. Keep an eye on Springer's status before plugging him in this week. SS Carlos Correa was back in the Astros' lineup on Thursday after missing the early part of the week with a bruised hand. Correa remains a must-start fantasy SS. OF Jorge Soler should be back with the Royals at some point this week after he wraps up a rehab assignment. Soler, who is a bit of a sleeper after a disappointing season last year, is worth a look in deep leagues with the chance to earn value in shallower leagues as the season rolls on. 2B Raul Mondesi is headed back to the minors due to his struggles since claiming the starting 2B job out of spring training. Whit Merrifield and Christian Colon will share time at 2B for the Royals with Merrifield worth a flier in AL-only leagues. C Gary Sanchez has resumed playing catch, a positive step in his recovery from a shoulder injury, but is still looking at a return around the middle of next month. Keep Sanchez stashed away. SS Marcus Semien will miss up to two months after undergoing surgery last week to repair his broken wrist. Semien is only worth stashing away in deep leagues. Adam Rosales is seeing the bulk of the action at short with Semien out but isn't a recommended fantasy option. OF Rajai Davis remains day-to-day with a hamstring injury and could be headed to the DL. Deep league owners will want to keep a watchful eye on Davis' status before considering him this week. SS Jean Segura is expected to wrap up his rehab assignment today in time for a return to the top of the Mariners' lineup on Tuesday. Segura, who is recovering from a hamstring strain, is a solid SS option in most leagues. C Wilson Ramos has resumed swinging a bat but is still a ways away from returning from knee surgery. Ramos is still looking at a June return, at the earliest, and should continue to be stashed away. OF Colby Rasmus began a rehab assignment over the weekend in what the Rays hope is the last step in his recovery from a hip injury. Rasmus could return at some point this week, and while he may have value in deep leagues soon, he'll need some time to re-acclimate himself to major league pitching. Jurickson Profar has emerged as the leader of the Rangers left field platoon over Delino DeShields who was unable to carry over his success from spring training into the regular season. Profar isn't doing well at the plate either, but his multi-positional eligibility and upside make him worth a bench spot in deeper leagues in hopes he can start to realize that potential. 3B Josh Donaldson will likely be on the shelf for another 2-4 weeks as he recovers from his calf strain. Keep Donaldson stashed away until his return next month. Chris Coghlan should continue to get the majority of the playing time at third and is worth a look in spot duty in AL-only leagues. SS Troy Tulowitzki was placed on the 10-day DL on Saturday with a hamstring injury. Keep him stashed away as he'll be out until at least May 3rd.
On The Mound
Chris Tillman will likely need two more rehab starts before he wraps up his minor-league rehab assignment. Tillman could be back in another week and will be a pitcher worth snagging in some deep leagues once he returns. David Price appears to have taken a step back in his rehab after feeling some soreness in his injured elbow but did throw a bullpen session on Friday. Price wasn't expected back until May anyway but his return remains up in the air. Keep the veteran lefty stashed away. James Shields was placed on the 15-day DL last week with a lat strain which will keep him out until at least May 1st. Shields was pitching well prior to the injury and is worth stashing in deep leagues. Mike Pelfrey will join the White Sox' rotation but isn't a recommended fantasy play. Carlos Rodon continues to work his way back from his biceps injury but there's still no timetable for his return according to GM Rick Hahn. Keep Rodon stashed away in hopes that he can return sometime next month. Garrett Richards continues to progress in his recovery from his biceps injury but has yet to be cleared to resume throwing. Plan on stashing Richards away for at least another 2-3 weeks. Luis Severino has been racking up the strikeouts since joining the Yankees' rotation earning his spot as a hot fantasy pickup. Severino has a tough draw this week with starts against the Red Sox and Orioles, and owners may want to consider keeping him on the bench this week. Sonny Gray made his first rehab start on Saturday and may need just one more this week before he joins the A's lineup. Gray is worth a flier in deeper leagues with his return in site. Kendall Graveman missed a start last week with a shoulder strain but could be back on the mound for the A's this week. Graveman was off to a very strong start for the A's prior to the injury and will be worth plugging in if he's indeed activated. Jake Odorizzi threw a bullpen session yesterday and it's possible could be in line for a return late this week though next week seems more likely. Keep an eye on Odorizzi's status but plan on rolling with other options as he'll be a risky start coming off of injury anyway. Tyson Ross is still unable to resume throwing off of a mound after back spasms caused him to miss his last rehab start. Ross has the potential to be a solid fantasy starter at some point this season, but it may be long, frustrating ride for fantasy owners who may not see him for another month or more. J.A. Happ has resumed throwing long toss but it's hard to imagine him coming back for a start this week as he recovers from elbow inflammation. Keep Happ stashed away this week. Aaron Sanchez has a better chance of returning after landing on the DL last week with a blister issue on his pitching hand but Sanchez owners will have to keep a close eye on his status as the week goes on to see if he gets the call. Mat Latos will fill one of the rotation vacancies but isn't a recommended fantasy add.
In The Bullpen
Just days after tying the American League record for consecutive saves, Zach Britton was placed on the DL with a forearm strain. Britton is feeling better and could potentially return for next weekend's games, but one would have to believe the Orioles will play it safe with their closer. Brad Brach is worth picking up for now as he's been tasked with closing out games until Britton returns. Francisco Rodriguez blew his second save of the season on Wednesday but it's still too early for the Tigers to make a move. He remains a solid relief option this week. Huston Street was transferred to the 60-day DL last week, pushing back a potential return from his shoulder injury into June. Cam Bedrosian landed on the DL last week with a groin injury and will be out for this week. Blake Parker and Bud Norris could see save opportunities with him out. Sam Dyson's struggles apparently weren't enough to strip him of the closer job but a trip to the DL with a hand contusion took care of that. Owners wouldn't be crazy to stash Dyson in a DL slot as it's possible he could get the call to close games once he returns with potential to work out his early-season kinks on a minor-league rehab assignment, but for now fantasy owners should turn to Matt Bush who bounced back from a little shoulder trouble last week to likely get the call in the majority of save chances with Dyson out.
Here are the most favorable offensive schedules this week...
Toronto Blue Jays TOR Chavez,J. 5 Wacha,M. 4 Martinez,Ca. 6 Wainwright,A. 9 Snell,B. (L) 7 Andriese,M. 4 Archer,C. 4 39
Kansas City Royals KC Gonzalez,M. 8 Covey,D. 9 Quintana,J. (L) 7 OFF 0 Gibson,K. 7 Hughes,P. 7 Santana,E. 1 39
Seattle Mariners SEA OFF 0 Zimmermann,J. 8 Norris,D. (L) 7 Verlander,J. 5 Carrasco,C. 1 Salazar,D. 5 Tomlin,J. 9 35
Here are the most unfavorable offensive schedules this week...
New York Yankees NYY OFF 0 Porcello,R. 5 Sale,C. (L) 1 Pomeranz,D. (L) 3 Aquino,J. (L) 1 Gausman,K. 9 Jimenez,U. 9 28
Boston Red Sox BOS OFF 0 Severino,L. 1 Tanaka,M. 7 Sabathia,C. (L) 4 Arrieta,J. 1 Lackey,J. 4 Anderson,Bt. (L) 6 23
Baltimore Orioles BAL Archer,C. 4 Ramirez,Er. 1 Cobb,A. 5 OFF 0 Pineda,M. 1 Montgomery,J. (L) 9 Severino,L. 1 21
2X Starters this Week (based on the strength of opponent*)...
Favorable
Keuchel,D. HOU CLE@ 9 OAK 6 15
Hughes,P. MIN TEX@ 6 KC@ 9 15
Santana,E. MIN TEX@ 6 KC@ 9 15
Jimenez,U. BAL TB 7 NYY@ 7 14
Vargas,J. KC CHW@ 7 MIN 7 14
Liriano,F. TOR LAA@ 6 TB 7 13
Neutral
Ramirez,J. LAA OAK 6 TEX@ 6 12
Hahn,J. OAK LAA@ 6 HOU@ 6 12
Estrada,M. TOR STL@ 5 TB 7 12
Hernandez,F. SEA DET@ 2 CLE@ 9 11
Perez,M. TEX MIN 7 LAA 4 11
Gonzalez,M. CHW KC 8 DET@ 2 10
Severino,L. NYY BOS@ 7 BAL 3 10
Unfavorable
Chavez,J. LAA TOR 2 TEX@ 6 8
Porcello,R. BOS NYY 5 CHC 2 7
Zimmermann,J. DET SEA 2 CHW 5 7
Archer,C. TB BAL@ 5 TOR@ 2 7
Tomlin,J. CLE HOU 4 SEA 2 6
*These ratings are based purely on the strength of the opposition (OBP), for comparative purposes.
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