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Weather Issues
No really issues to be concerned with.
What’s Happening
The Toronto Blue Jays have traded J.A. Happ to the New York Yankees for Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney . Happ has struggled as of late, posting a 5.20 ERA over his last seven starts for the Jays. He had a 3.71 ERA through his first 13 starts this season. Happ immediately slides into the middle of the Yankees rotation. Drury was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this year, but struggled in his brief stints with the Major League team, hitting .176/.263/.275 with one home run in 57 plate appearances. His ability to play multiple positions has always been a nice added benefit for fantasy owners and he likely will fill a utility role after the Blue Jays get Josh Donaldson back. McKinney is looked at as a fourth outfielder type and has struggled in AAA this year, but also hit for more power than he ever has. He currently in hitting .250/.294/.502 with 13 homers in just 228 plate appearances.
Martin Maldonado was acquired by the Houston Astros for Patrick Sandoval and international bonus pool money. Maldonado is not a big name by any stretch of the imagination, but the Astros were looking for a catcher to pair with Max Stassi with Brian McCann on the DL. Maldonado has hit five home runs this season with a .223/.284/.332 triple slash in 78 games for the Angels. Sandoval hasn’t pitched above high-A yet, but has put together a nice season with a 2.56 ERA and 97 strikeouts and only 15 walks in 88 innings this year between low-A and high-A. He could be a back end of the rotation lefty for the Angels down the line.
The Blue Jays traded Seunghwan Oh to the Rockies for Forrest Wall and Chad Spanberger. Oh now loses the majority of his fantasy value because he likely has no shot to close and will be pitching half his games in Coors. Wall is a former top prospect for the Rockies that has been passed over by the likes of Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers, which forced him to move from second base to centerfield. Spanberger is a power hitting first baseman that could end up being on the fast track to the Majors considering his age and his destruction of minor league pitching.
Joakim Soria was traded from the White Sox to the Brewers for Kodi Medeiros and Wilber Perez. Soria moves from being the closer in Chicago to a set up arm in Milwaukee which hurts a lot of his fantasy value. Jace Fry will likely lead a committee in the White Sox bullpen that has only managed to deliver 23 saves in the first 101 games, which would put the team projected to get 13-14 saves rest of the season. Wilber Perez has been impressive in rookie ball this season, throwing 40.1 innings with a 29% strikeout rate and an 8% walk rate with a 2.01 ERA. Mederios is closer to the Majors, but lacks the control and command to become a reliable starter at the Major League level. He will likely end up in the bullpen.
Quick Hits
Anthony Rendón was placed on the paternity list today. He will likely miss the next three games and be back with the team by Sunday.
Jesse Winker was placed on the 10-Day DL with a shoulder injury. He will undergo season ending surgery on the injured shoulder.
Both Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson are out of tonight's lineup versus the Mets.
Ranger Suarez has been called up and will make his Major League debut tonight for the Phillies.
Player News
Clayton Kershaw (toe, knee) fired six hitless innings on Tuesday in a minor league start in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.
Kershaw had no issues against lower-level hitters after making a couple rehab outings previously for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The future Hall of Fame southpaw is targeting a mid-May return to the Dodgers’ rotation, so he figures to make at least one additional rehab start before being activated to make his season debut.
Gabriel Moreno is day-to-day with left side soreness.
Moreno was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup in what was described as a manager’s decision at the time. The Diamondbacks revealed after the contest that their starting catcher is dealing with left side soreness. It’ll be Jose Herrera handling the catching duties in his absence.
Julio Rodríguez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored on Tuesday to lead the Mariners to a 5-3 win over the Athletics.
Rodríguez put the Mariners on the board early with solo homer off Jeffrey Springs in the first inning. He added a base hit in the third inning and was hit by a pitch in the seventh. Rodríguez reached for a fourth time with a single in the ninth and scored on a base hit by Cal Raleigh. The 24-year-old outfielder is hitting .221/.323/.407 with six homers, 25 runs scored, and five steals across 161 plate appearances.
Cal Raleigh drove in two runs with a pinch-hit single against the Athletics on Tuesday.
Raleigh entered to pinch hit for Mitch Garver with the bases loaded in the ninth trailing by one run. He came through with a line drive base hit to bring home two runs and give the Mariners the lead. The 28-year-old backstop has been among the top fantasy performers at the position, slashing .246/.364/.577 with 12 homers, 25 RBI, and four steals across 154 plate appearances.
Brent Rooker went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two steals against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Rooker drew a walk in the first inning and stole second before scoring on a base hit to put the A’s on the board. He reached again in the third with a single and stole second again for his second swipe of the day. Rooker later doubled in the eighth and scored a second time before collecting a third hit in the ninth. The 30-year-old slugger is having a solid season at the plate, slashing .255/.323/.497 with nine homers, 25 runs scored, 19 RBI, and two steals across 164 plate appearances.
Carlos Vargas struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save against the Athletics on Tuesday.
Andrés Muñoz was unavailable for the Mariners on Tuesday after pitching in two of the last three days. It was Vargas who got the call in the ninth to close out the game with a two-run lead. He stranded two runners, striking out two to record the save and secure the win for Seattle.