Fantasy Baseball September 9 Round Up: Yadier Molina & Adam Wainwright Tie MLB Record for Cardinals
We are now entering the final days of Week 22 in our fantasy baseball leagues with September and the last full month of the MLB season in full swing. Before looking ahead at your fantasy baseball lineups for tonight and the rest of the weekend, we first need to review the top MLB news and headlines from yesterday’s action. It was “get away day” in MLB, a short six-game slate, but we still had some key MLB highlights. There was the Adam Wainwright/Yadier Molina batterymate duo making history, a monster Yoán Moncada game, and Corbin Burnes getting back on track. Don't forget to check out our fantasy baseball player rankings and MLB projections before setting your lineups this week. Plus, check out the latest MLB injury report, our fantasy baseball player spotlight series, and players trending up and down in the fantasy baseball stock watch. Before we start the weekend let’s take a look back at the top performances from yesterday to help you win those fantasy baseball playoff matchups!
Fantasy Baseball MLB News & Headlines
60 Feet, 6 Inches to History for Adam Wainwright & Yadier Molina
60 feet, 6 inches — that was the number for Thursday as Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina tied a major-league record for most starts as battery mates. Wainwright and Molina made their 324th start together to match the longtime MLB record set by Detroit’s Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan 45 years ago. Wainwright and Molina are on track to break the record at home against Milwaukee on Sept. 14.
Yadi Goes Off
Yadier Molina kept the day special as he also blasted two home runs – to double his season total. Despite Molina’s efforts at the plate, the Cardinals could not do much, losing 11-6 to the Nationals and splitting a four-game series at Busch Stadium with the worst team that in the National League. The loss did not hurt the Cardinals’ place atop the NL Central, but it did a lot to reinforce who they must count on as the playoffs inch closer – their seasoned veterans.
Corbin Burnes for NL Cy Young?
Even though the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes probably won't win it again this season, he remains one of the game's best pitchers and sure is making a last-ditch effort to impress voters. Burnes came into the night with 200 strikeouts, one shy of San Francisco's Carlos Rodón for the National League lead, and then proceeded to mow down 14 batters over eight innings in a 2-1 over the Giants. This was Burnes' best game since he held the Cardinals to one run in St. Louis on Aug. 13. He then went on to allow at least three earned runs in each of his next four starts with a 7.29 ERA in that span before yesterday.
Yoán Moncada Has Monster Day
White Sox pregame talk centered around Dylan Cease yesterday as fans were anticipating how he would follow up his near no-hitter performance. Then Yoán Moncada stole the show. Moncada blasted two home runs on his way to a five-hit night, plus Andrus, Eloy Jiménez, and Romy Gonzàlez also went yard to power the White Sox to a huge 14-2 blowout victory over the Athletics. The White Sox third baseman is the first White Sox hitter since Chris Singleton in 1999 with multiple five-hit games in a season and he also became the first American League player ever to have multiple five-hit, five RBI games in a single season.
Wander Franco Set to Return From Injury
The Rays have another chance this weekend to continue threatening the Yankees' lead in the American League East – and they’ll have Wander Franco to help this time. The Tampa Bay star shortstop is expected to be activated from the Injured List and in the lineup for tonight’s opener of the three-game series between the two AL East powers. The Rays decided to accelerate Franco’s return after a big rehab game for the Durham Bulls Wednesday night, going 3-for-5 and playing nine innings at shortstop.
Franco, who missed time early the season with lower-leg issues, is slashing .260/.308/.396/.704 with 5 HR/23 RBI and a .704 OPS over 58 games in his second big-league season. In Franco’s absence the Rays have been playing well with Taylor Walls handling shortstop. They have won eight of their last nine games (including two of three from the Yankees last weekend), and an American League-best 23 of 33 since the start of August.
DJ LeMahieu Placed on IL
The injury-riddled Yankees placed infielder DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day Injured List on Thursday with inflammation of his right second toe. He had been trying to deal with it for several weeks but managed to play through the discomfort until recently when he missed games in the Twins series. LeMahieu, a two-time batting champ and and one of the Yankees best all-around hitters, was 0-for-12 last weekend in Tampa Bay and is batting just .143 (10-for-70) with no extra-base hits over his last 18 games.
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Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.