Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: All Gasser, no brakes

The latest Rotoworld Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire column breaks down the arrival of a top pitching prospect and emergence of a new stopper in Milwaukee.

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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: All Gasser, no brakes

D'Andre Swift

CHI Running Back #4

Bears ‘excited’ about Swift as pass catcher
Ronel Blanco

HOU Starting Pitcher #56

Ronel Blanco plans to appeal 10-game suspension
Nikola Jokic

DEN Center #15

Unstoppable: Nikola Jokic goes off for 40 points
Jalen Brunson

NYK Point Guard #11

Jalen Brunson torches Pacers, scores 44 points
Martavis Bryant

FA Wide Receiver #84

Commanders to tryout WR Martavis Bryant

Latest Player News Headlines

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Gunnar Henderson

BAL Shortstop #2

Gunnar Henderson, who had led off for the Orioles every game this season, is in the cleanup spot for Wednesday’s game.

It seems like this is a consequence of the struggling Cedric Mullins being dropped to the ninth spot today, and manager Brandon Hyde not wanting to stack lefties. Still, Henderson hits more like a No. 3 or No. 4 hitter than a leadoff man anyway; he’s sitting at .264/.339/.553 this year and .257/.331/.495 for his career. Jordan Westburg is leading off today. It’d be great for his value if this becomes permanent, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what Hyde is planning at the moment.
Corey Julks

CWS Left Fielder #9

White Sox acquired OF Corey Julks from the Astros for RHP Luis Rodriguez and optioned Julks to Triple-A Charlotte.

It’s kind of weird to acquire a player like the 28-year-old Julks and send him down, but that’s been part of the White Sox’s philosophy in recent years; send him down, get him used to playing in a weaker organization and then call him up once he’s adapted. Julks spent most of last year in the majors with the Astros, hitting .245/.297/.352, but he’s been stuck in Triple-A this season, batting .266/.358/.444 with five homers and six steals in 148 plate appearances. He fits best as a fourth-outfielder type, but the White Sox might give him a shot as a regular later. Rodriguez, a 20-year-old reliever, has given up three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in Rookie ball this year.
Ronel Blanco

HOU Starting Pitcher #56

Ronel Blanco told reporters late Tuesday that he plans to appeal his automatic 10-game suspension.

Blanco was ejected by third base umpire Laz Diaz during Tuesday’s start against the Athletics, and his glove was confiscated, following a foreign substance check at the outset of the fourth inning. Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters afterwards that Blanco had a mixture of rosin and sweat on his glove hand, which is illegal under league rules. The 30-year-old righty has denied using an illegal substance, but is still facing an automatic 10-game suspension under league rules, which he plans to appeal. There should be a resolution on the matter at some point later this week.
Shohei Ohtani

LAD Designated Hitter #17

Shohei Ohtani finished 3-for-5 with a homer and a double against the Giants on Tuesday.

In what seems to be tracking as the worst year for offense in decades, Ohtani is batting .361/.427/.680 with 12 homers. He’s 69 points of OPS ahead of Marcell Ozuna, who is second in the majors in the category. Ohtani’s homer tonight was a 446-foot blast that left his bat at 113.4 mph, and his 109.4-mph single was the second hardest-hit ball of the contest.
Keaton Winn

SF Starting Pitcher #67

The Giants said Keaton Winn suffered from forearm tightness while giving up five runs in four innings Tuesday in a loss to the Dodgers.

That’s a bummer. Winn has a 6.17 ERA after this, but he’s generally looked better than that suggests. The Giants just sent down Mason Black with Blake Snell set to return to the rotation, but they might need to go back to him now.
Alex Bregman

HOU Third Baseman #2

Alex Bregman went 2-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday’s win over the Athletics.

Bregman swatted his fourth homer of the season in the second inning to give the Astros an early 1-0 lead. Bregman has now homered in back-to-back nights and has hit safely in his last six games. He’s hitting .417 over that span and may finally be starting to turn the corner after getting off to a slow start to the season.
Jack Leiter

TEX Starting Pitcher #35

Jack Leiter allowed six earned runs over 1 2/3 innings on Tuesday in a loss to the Guardians.

It was another rough outing for Leiter, whose ERA now sits at an astronomical 16.39 through three career starts. The 24-year-old pitching prospect made it through the first inning unscathed despite a few erratic pitches but was lit for six runs in the second inning, with Josh Naylor’s three-run bomb putting the finishing touches on a disastrous inning for the young righty. Assuming he’s still with the big league club next week, Leiter’s next outing is scheduled for Tuesday against the Phillies, which could make for another challenging start.
Josh Naylor

CLE First Baseman #22

Josh Naylor went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer on Tuesday in the Guardians’ win over the Rangers.

Naylor capped off a six-run second inning for the Guardians when he smacked a three-run homer off Rangers rookie Jack Leiter to give the Guardians a commanding 6-1 lead. Naylor has now homered four times this month and has hit 12 on the season while also driving in 33 runs. He’s pacing toward a career year if he can continue his strong start. He’s cooled off a bit, slashing .239/.352/.587 this month, but continues to be an imposing threat in the middle of the order.
Ryan Jeffers

MIN Catcher #27

Ryan Jeffers went 1-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday’s loss to the Yankees.

Carlos Rodón’s second pitch of the evening was sent 429 feet into the left field stands by Jeffers, who got the scoring started with a leadoff homer. It was Jeffers’ 10th home run of the season, as he’s well on pace to top his previous career high of 14 before the all-star break. Jeffers is now slashing .278/.308/.806 in the month of May with five homers and 13 RBI.
Nick Pivetta

BOS Starting Pitcher #37

Nick Pivetta allowed two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Rays.

Pivetta struck out eight on the day while walking none, but he was doomed by two solo home runs. The right-hander got back on track after his rough return from the IL, posting a 29 percent whiff rate and 40 percent CSW. His sweeper was particularly dominant, getting five whiffs on eight swings and posting a 47 percent CSW. Pivetta also threw his curveball 1.3 mph harder than usual and found some success with it, so that’s something to watch for future starts. He’ll take a 3.48 ERA into an appealing start against a reeling Cardinals offense this weekend.

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