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| Friday, April 21, 2023 |
| Happy Friday, everyone! Thursday's action was highlighted by one of this Fantasy Baseball season's early waiver wire studs. Dodgers OF James Outman went undrafted in the majority of leagues but is now trending toward emerging as that early-season waiver wire scoop that could be a difference maker -- specifically in five outfield leagues. Outman went 2-for-5 with two homers including a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning for the Dodgers. He's batting .290 with five homers, 12 runs, 15 RBI and two stolen bases -- and he led off for the Dodgers on Thursday. Outman is up to 88% rostered and his 90.6 mph average exit velocity and 92nd percentile sprint speed give reason to believe he's not a sell high but instead a potential league-winning hold. Scott moved him up to OF51 overall and Frank is at OF48 overall for Outman, but I'm even more bullish on his potential over the rest of the season, especially if he can find a way to stay atop the Dodgers batting order. |
| We'll dive into some more key takeaways from Thursday's action and then preview what we'll expect next week, including some of Scott's favorite Week 5 sleeper plays. |
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| Intriguing waiver wire pitchers |
| Tanner Houck, SP/RP, Red Sox |
| Houck threw a career-high seven innings and allowed just six hits, one walk and three earned runs while striking out seven Twins on Thursday. He induced 16 swinging strikes and his new pitch this year -- the cutter -- has been working for him. He's doubled his splitter usage and it drew six whiffs in this game. He's now allowed three runs or fewer in all four starts (but this was his first start going more than five innings). Houck is just 25% rostered and draws the Orioles next week. *Bonus: Houck is RP eligible and a SPARP in points leagues. |
| Roansy Contreras, SP, Pirates |
| Contreras flashed in his MLB debut last year and he looked great on Thursday against the Reds. He threw 6 2/3 innings and allowed just five hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out eight and inducing 14 swinging strikes. Contreras is 38% rostered with a matchup against the Dodgers on the slate next week. |
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| Prospects report |
| Scott White took a deep dive into the most exciting prospects who haven't yet been called up but could be on the verge. These are the players to stash on your benches now over some of the lower-ceiling, high floor options getting at bats on your bench right now. For Scott's full prospects report, you can find it here. |
| These are his top two stashes: |
| Matt Mervis, 1B, Cubs: "Matt Mervis has trended on Twitter almost every day this week. Sure, he's hot right now, with three multi-hit games in his past five, but streaking minor-leaguers rarely get that kind of attention. As I said for Brett Baty a week ago, the pressure is mounting. Like Baty, Mervis is blocked by a veteran retread struggling to keep his head above water. Even with a home run Thursday (his first), Eric Hosmer is batting .245 with a .649 OPS. He's been one of the few weak points in a Cubs lineup that has them looking like surprise contenders. At 25, Mervis doesn't have much left to prove, particularly after he led all the minors in extra-base hits and total bases last year." |
| Brandon Pfaadt, SP, Diamondbacks: "Every Madison Bumgarner start now requires a tourniquet. It's been getting progressively worse over the life of his Diamondbacks contract, and now that he's in the second-to-last year, maybe there's justification to begin phasing him out. The 33-year-old has made vague references to an ailment of some kind, so an IL stint would be a good place to start." |
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| News & notes |
| Max Scherzer has been suspended 10 games due to the use of a foreign substance. He was going to appeal but has decided against it.Both Corbin Burnes and Hunter Greene have been cleared for their next starts, with both coming this Sunday.Amazing news as Liam Hendriks announced on Instagram that he is cancer free. Hopefully, we can get him back on the mound soon! Jameson Taillon was placed on the IL with a left groin strain. It's being called mild to moderate. Javier Assad was recalled from Triple-A. Bryce Harper made throws from 60 feet and took live batting practice Thursday. There's still no exact timetable.Carlos Rodon will not throw for a few days and is set to undergo a CT scan. All of the other tests on his back have already come back normal.Tony Gonsolin allowed two runs over three innings in his first rehab outing at Triple-A.Starling Marte missed Thursday's game with a stiff neck but was feeling better and could return to the lineup Friday.Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not expected to return this weekend. He's still on the concussion IL.Michael Conforto was back in the starting lineup Thursday after missing nearly a week with a calf issue.Evan Phillips was placed on the paternity list. Perhaps Brusdar Graterol grabs a save over the next few days.Logan O'Hoppe was pulled Thursday after injuring his left shoulder. He'll be evaluated in the next couple of days. Brett Baty was out of the lineup against a lefty once again.Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that Jorge Polanco is pretty close to coming back. Kenta Maeda left his start early after taking a line drive off his left leg. X-rays came back negative.Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Mitch Haniger is getting close to returning to the Giants.Alex Wood is set to miss at least several weeks with that hamstring strain. Ross Stripling is expected to re-enter the Giants rotation.Old friend Joey Lucchesi will be called up to start Friday for the Mets with Carlos Carrasco on the IL. |
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