New York Yankees:
The Yankees should be chalky today considering they are facing Jamie Garcia who allowed a .338 wOBA to right handed hitters last year. This obviously puts in play Giancarlo Stanton , Aaron Judge , and Gary Sánchez . Also what will make the Yankees chalky is Aaron Hicks leading off at 3.4k on DK. This will create the catalyst and salary relief many DFS’ers are looking for to start their stack off at a reasonable price. Don’t be afraid to find value up and down this lineup. Stanton, Sanchez, and Tyler Austin are all in sequence with one another as well.
Chicago Cubs
Colorado Rockies
Game Stack
Hopefully they can redeem themselves after last night’s traumatic let down. The obvious plays here are going to be Ian Happ and Anthony Rizzo . Wilson Contreras seems like he will be in the cleanup spot so that should make for a nice play followed by Kyle Schwarber . Aside from those players you might be paying a premium for guys like Javier Báez and Addison Russel that does not provide a lot of value on this slate. On the other hand Colorado gets José Quintana who has had his struggles to begin the year. I do not see this being his “breakout game” at Coors. That means Nolan Arenado who averaged 3.25 points per at bat (2nd in MLB) last year should be on your radar. This could be a good game to stack.
Value Stack:
Tampa Bay Rays
TB is very interesting today. Any time you can get Denard Span leading off against a RHP, there is a lot of room for value. Stacking TB today is also a cheap way to fit any other expensive stacks into your lineup. Brad Miller is of particular interest facing a weak RHP, Phil Hughes whose best days are behind him. C.J. Cron , should also be a decent play and you will get him at low ownership being he is facing a RHP. As seen last night, this might be the start of a breakout year for him. I would not recommend going too much further down that batting order unless you are in some deep GPP’s.
Player News
Nationals optioned RHP Eduardo Salazar to Triple-A Rochester.
Salazar has allowed 17 runs on 28 hits in 15 2/3 innings for the Nationals out of the bullpen this season. He will head to the minors to make room for Michael Soroka on the active roster.
Eloy Jiménez went 3-for-5 with two RBI for Triple-A Durham on Tuesday.
After a slow start to the season, Jiménez has heated up of late, going 12-for-38 (.316) over his last 10 games with four extra base hits, one home run, and 12 RBI. That has also come with six strikeouts and three walks. There doesn’t appear to be any room for him in Tampa Bay, unless they want to play him in the outfield, but if he continues to hit like this, the Rays or some other MLB team will want to see if they can get him to produce at the big league level again.
Thairo Estrada (fractured wrist) has resumed swinging a bat with both hands.
Estrada, who fractured his wrist on March 21st when he was hit by a pitch, had been swinging a bat with one hand but progressed to full swings earlier this week. He will now continue to increase the velocity he’s facing and work himself back into game shape before beginning a rehab assignment. We could see him in the Rockies’ lineup by the middle of June.
Jake Cronenworth (ribs) could join the Padres in Colorado.
Cronenworth hit the ground running in his first rehab game on Tuesday, blasting a home run and walking three times. He’ll play another rehab game on Wednesday and could rejoin the Padres in Colorado on Friday. If he does return this weekend, that could mean that Tyler Wade moves back to his role as a utility player off the bench.
Nestor Cortes (elbow) has resumed playing catch.
The 30-year-old had a PRP injection in his left elbow after his start on April 3rd and has been shut down since then. He started playing catch earlier this week and will build up to long toss, bullpens, and then a rehab assignment. We’re still many weeks away from seeing him on a mound in Milwaukee.
Frankie Montas (lat) threw a bullpen on Monday.
This is the third bullpen session for Montas as he continues his throwing program following a lat strain he suffered in spring training. The veteran will need a full buildup, almost as a separate Spring Training, before he can be considered to rejoin the Mets rotation. The original plan was for him to return in early June, and if he progresses to a rehab assignment soon, that could still be in play for the 32-year-old.