We did a real nice job of scoping out the value hitters on yesterday’s slate as Nick Solak , Myles Straw and the incomparable Akil Baddoo all delivered and offered at least a 3x return on their salaries. Unfortunately, the pitchers failed and I guess now we know why an ace like Luis Castillo appeared to be so grossly underpriced. Yeesh! He wasn’t as bad as Max Fried was, but that’s still not good. We’ll turn it around with the pitching today and continue our assault on value bats too!
Both Sites:
Taylor Trammell , OF SEA ($3,200 DK/$2,800 FD) – It’s been a cold first two games of this series against the Orioles for Trammell, but he’s in a good spot for this game, if it plays. Double-check the weather as there may be some rain. If not, he’s hitting right-handed pitching real well this season -- .931 OPS, .397 wOBA – and should be able to return solid value tonight.
Ender Inciarte , OF ATL ($2,400 DK/$2,000 FD) – It’s all about opportunity and with Cristian Pache now on the 10-day IL, Inciarte returns to a starting job in the outfield. The veteran can be streaky, but that’s been about playing time these last two seasons. With a full-time role right now, he could go on a nice tear and try to push back for his job even when Pache comes back. The lefty does a good job against right-handed pitching and Nick Neidert is still learning the ropes.
Draft Kings:
Charlie Morton , SP ATL ($7,600) – It’s a decent mid-tier price for Morton and allows you to go either way for your second starter. You can try and pay up go for big strikeouts or you can pay down and go for bigger bats. But Morton will give you decent numbers across the board and should land the win against Miami today. He’s a stabilizing force for your lineup with tremendous upside to do more.
Wilson Ramos , C DET ($3,400) – If you’re not going to pay up for J.T. Realmuto, then pay down to Ramos and don’t bother looking in between. Ramos has been on fire lately and DK hasn’t bumped his price up accordingly. We’re not chasing the two-homer game from yesterday; we’re looking at a guy who has hit safely in five-straight and in seven of his last eight with six home runs and seven RBI and is batting third in the lineup.
FanDuel:
Jon Gray , SP COL ($8,000) – Gray allowed just two earned runs with 12 strikeouts over 11.2 innings in his first two starts and both were at home in Coors. In fact, his first start came against the Dodgers and he punched out seven in five innings. He’s showcasing himself here in a contract year and with the ballpark dimensions on his side tonight, he’ll attack the hitters and pound the strike zone heavily.
Marcell Ozuna , OF ATL ($2,800) – What we’re always trying to do is identify the hot streak before it really happens. That way we get the offensive stats we want at a crazy discounted price. Ozuna is not going to remain under $3K on FD for very long as this looks like the start of his impending breakout. He enjoyed a three-hit game yesterday and hit his first home run, all coming off a run of three hits in four games. He’s getting his timing right and you should be able to enjoy earlier than most.
Player News
Orioles selected the contract INF Emmanuel Rivera from Triple-A Norfolk.
Rivera provides the Orioles with some extra infield depth with starting third baseman Jordan Westburg hitting the injured list with a hamstring strain. The 28-year-old should get some opportunities against left-handed pitching, but he can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.
Orioles selected the contract of C Maverick Handley from Triple-A Norfolk.
Handley gets the call to join the Orioles ahead of Monday’s game against the Yankees with veteran backstop Gary Sánchez hitting the injured list with wrist inflammation. The 27-year-old backstop will be making his big-league debut if he gets into a game.
Orioles placed 2B/3B Jordan Westburg on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Not great. Westburg winds up hitting the shelf after an MRI on Monday revealed a strain. No word yet on how much time he’s going to miss, but fantasy managers should anticipate a multi-week absence, even if it’s on the milder side. The 26-year-old infielder was just starting to settle into a groove at the plate, hitting .310 (9-for-29) with one homer and two RBI over his last seven games. It’ll veteran Ramón Urías taking over at the hot corner in his absence.
Orioles placed C Gary Sánchez on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation.
Sánchez hits the shelf ahead of Monday’s game against the Yankees, his former team. It’ll be Maverick Handley coming up from Triple-A Norfolk to take his spot on Baltimore’s active roster as franchise cornerstone Adley Rutschman’s primary caddy.
Orioles transferred OF Colton Cowser to the 60-day injured list.
The procedural move opens up a spot on Baltimore’s 40-man roster. Cowser won’t be ready to return until at least early June as he continues his rehabilitation from surgery to repair a fractured left thumb. He should be ready to head out on a minor league rehab assignment in a couple weeks, but has yet to resume baseball activities.
Orioles transferred RHP Grayson Rodriguez to the 60-day injured list.
Rodriguez has yet to resume throwing after being shut down last week with a mild right lat strain. The 25-year-old opened the year on the shelf with right elbow inflammation. He’s facing an extended absence and likely won’t be ready to make his season debut until sometime in the second half.