News
Justin Turner is at third base and batting sixth on Saturday against the Dodgers.
It’s an opportunity for Turner to make an appearance at the hot corner, potentially for the final time in his career, at Dodger Stadium. The 40-year-old has been mostly limited to first base this season in his Cubs debut, hitting .222 (4-for-18) with three RBI in eight games. It’ll be rookie Matt Shaw taking a seat on Saturday night.
Tim Tawa is starting at second base and batting eighth for the Diamondbacks on Thursday against the Marlins.
Tawa homered in Wednesday night’s game, so it makes sense that the team keeps him in the lineup. The 26-year-old rookie has gone 4-for-18 in his first six games with one home run and five RBI. He remains off fantasy radars with Ketel Marte (hamstring) nearing a return and Jordan Lawlar inching closer to a call-up.
Matt McLain is not in the starting lineup against the Mariners on Thursday.
McLain was activated off the IL on Tuesday and started both Tuesday and Wednesday, so this is likely just a routine day off with a day game after a night game. The Reds may be cautious with McLain’s hamstring over the next couple of weeks, which could mean a slight uptick in Santiago Espinal’s playing time.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand is not in the starting lineup for the Reds on Thursday against the Mariners.
Encarnacion-Strand started last night and drove in two runs on a double; however, he will now shift to the bench with Jeimer Candelario entering the lineup at first base and batting sixth. Now that Austin Hays is back from the IL, the Reds have shifted Gavin Lux back into the infield, which means Lux, Candelario, and Encarnacion-Strand will likely have to rotate playing time in the immediate future.
Marlins activated 3B Connor Norby from the 10-day injured list.
Norby has been sidelined since early in spring training with an oblique injury and will make his long-awaited return to the Marlins’ lineup. Last year, Norby slashed .238/.300/.439 in 41 games with the Marlins after being traded by the Orioles. He hit eight home runs and stole three bases, but he also struck out 34 percent of the time. Strikeouts had not been much of an issue for Norby before 2024, so perhaps pushing for a job in Baltimore caused him to be far more aggressive, which led to more swing-and-miss. He has enough power and speed that it’s worth adding him in most formats to see if he has an approach change now that he is locked into a starting job.
Devin Carter accounted for 10 points (3-of-5 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one three-pointer in 22 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks.
Carter’s rookie season ended on a positive note individually, as he reached double figures for the fourth time. Offseason shoulder surgery delayed his NBA debut until after the New Year, with Carter playing 36 regular-season games. While he was worth stashing in dynasty league drafts before this season began, the former Providence standout did not deserve a look in redraft leagues. That will likely remain the case next season, but the Kings need to make a decision regarding their head coaching position, as Doug Christie was only the interim. Add in the need for an experienced point guard, and Carter’s fantasy outlook isn’t great.
Keegan Murray recorded nine points (3-of-9 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, two assists, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers in 36 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks.
Murray recorded a complete stat line on Wednesday, but the impact was muted. That was a fitting end to the season for the Kings forward, whose fantasy value took a significant hit. The signing of DeMar DeRozan during free agency did Murray no favors, and that was also true for the addition of Zach LaVine just before the trade deadline. While he did approach his Yahoo! ADP (87) in nine-cat formats, Murray failed to crack the top-100 in eight-cat. Murray is extension eligible this summer, but the Kings have many questions to answer, including who the head coach will be and the future of lead executive Monte McNair. How that impacts Murray remains to be seen, but he’s worth selecting with a top-100 pick in drafts.