| | | | Monday, May 12, 2025 | | I had this whole intro written out for today's newsletter about Tomoyuki Sugano's recent success and why it isn't sustainable -- you can read that here -- when word came out late Sunday night that the Diamondbacks are calling up top infield prospect Jordan Lawlar this week, so it's time to pivot. Because, while Lawlar is a top prospect worthy of getting excited about for Fantasy, his promotion is not nearly as straightforward as most prospects of his caliber. | | Because there just isn't an obvious spot for Lawlar to play right now. Primarily a shortstop, Lawlar has been playing second base and third base down at Triple-A to try to increase his flexibility. The problem, of course, is that he's kind of equally blocked at all three positions, by Gealdo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, and Eugenio Suarez . It's a good problem for the Diamondbacks to have, but it makes Lawlard's immediate future tough to figure out. | | My best guess is he'll play something like 60-75% of the team's games, at least to start. He'll give Suarez a day off one day, then he'll man second while Marte plays DH, and then maybe he gets in at shortstop a couple of days later, and then gets his own spot start at DH once or twice a week. But, unless there's an injury – or unless Lawlar buys an outfield glove – it's hard to see him being an everyday player. At least not until he forces the issue. | | And Lawlar is absolutely talented enough to do that. But he'll have to hit the ground running to expand his playing time. I imagine we'll see him in the outfield before long, but they probably won't want to put that on his plate until the 22-year-old has his legs under him. That might not take long – despite playing just 23 games last season, Lawlar is hitting .336/.411/.584, with solid plate discipline metrics and a line drive approach as a hitter. He's got plenty of tools – plus athleticism, though probably closer to average power – and could make himself indispensable very quickly for the Diamondbacks. | | Which is enough to make him worth rostering in any category-based league, but especially any Roto league with a MI spot. He'll be harder to roster in H2H points leagues, with the shallower rosters and volume-focused scoring, but he could get there before long if he plays his way into an everyday role. | | That's no sure thing, but it's definitely what we're hoping for. And it's probably what the Diamondbacks are hoping for too, even if it might lead to some roster complications before long. They'll live with that if Lawlar can live up to expectations. | | | | Week 8 Preview | | | | Before we get to everything you need to know from this weekend's action, let's get those lineups set, with some help from Scott White and I. | | Week 8 waiver targets | | Lawlar became the highest priority target late Sunday night, but before then, the focus was on Jake Burger, a consensus top-120 pick who was sent down a month into a deeply disappointing first season with the Rangers . But Burger seems likely to be recalled to the Rangers this week, and my expectations for him haven't really changed even after the demotion -- this wasn't even the deepest slump of the past year for Burger, who had a .265 wOBA at the end of last June and then finished his season with 22 homers over the final three months. That upside is still there. | C: Ivan Herrera, Cardinals (69%)1B: Colt Keith, Tigers (36%)
2B: Hye Seong Kim, Dodgers (28%)3B: Yoan Moncada, Angels (28%)SS: J.P Crawford, Mariners (37%)OF: Trent Grisham, Yankees (58%), Dane Myers, Marlins (21%), Evan Carter, Rangers (38%)SP: Ryan Weathers, Marlins (34%), Bubba Chandler, Pirates (76%), AJ Smith-Shawver, Braves (62%), Will Warren, Yankees (25%), Hunter Dobbins, Red Sox (8%) RP: Shelby Miller, Diamondbacks (27%), Porter Hodge, Cubs (32%) | | For more deep-league targets, plus my thoughts on each of those players and more, head here. | | Week 8 sleeper hitters | | Best hitter matchups for Week 8 | 1. Braves WAS4, @BOS3
2. Cubs MIA3, CHW3
3. Reds CHW3, CLE3
4. Tigers BOS3, @TOR3
5. Nationals @ATL4, @BAL3 | | | | Worst hitter matchups for Week 8 | 1. Cardinals @PHI3, @KC3
2. Pirates @NYM3, @PHI3
3. Angels @SD3, @LAD3
4. Red Sox @DET3, ATL3
5. Mariners NYY3, @SD3 | | Top sleeper hitters for Week 8 | | Jonathan Aranda, 1B, Rays (74%) @TOR3, @MIA TJ Friedl, OF, Reds (71%) CHW3, CLE3 Nate Lowe, 1B, Nationals (76%) @ATL4, @BAL3 Kyle Stowers, OF, Marlins (76%) @CHC3, TB3 Andy Pages , OF, Dodgers (75%) ATH3, LAA3 | | Week 8 sleeper pitchers | | You can check out Scott's two-start pitcher rankings here, too. He ranks every projected two-start pitcher for the upcoming week, tiering them from must-starts to no-thanks. | | Top sleeper pitchers for Week 8 | | Michael Wacha, Royals (70%) at HOU, vs. STL Matthew Liberatore, Cardinals (71%) at PHI, at KCGrant Holmes, Braves (76%) vs. WAS, at BOS Andrew Abbott, Reds (65%) vs. CHW, vs. CLEMatthew Boyd, Cubs (77%) vs. CHW | | | | Weekend Standouts | | Good pitchers | | Stephen Kolek, Padres @COL: 9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K – Is Koleck part of that "obvious sell-high" group? Well, I don't know if he either has the name recognition nor the success to justify calling him a sell-high candidate, given that he's just 13% rostered right now. So, I'm willing to cautiously recommend adding him, especially in points leagues (he's SPaRP eligible), but I don't expect this to lead to sustained success moving forward. In categories leagues, I'd probably try to avoid starting him against the Mariners this week, honestly. | | Logan Webb, Giants @MIN: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K – In the past, seeing Webb go away from his changeup has been cause for concern. But his struggles with that pitch last season have proven to be a blessing in disguise, as he worse forced to build out the rest of his arsenal, leading to what I think is the best version of Webb we've ever seen. He threw the changeup 18% of the time in this one, but was able to generate tones of weak contact with his sweeper and cutter, while his four-seamer was used judiciously to generate three of his 10 swinging strikes. I don't expect him to maintain a sub-3.00 ERA, but I don't think this hot start is a fluke, either. | | Corbin Burnes, Diamondbacks vs. LAD: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K – Burnes came back from that shoulder scare with one of the more genuinely shocking results of the season. He went away from his signature cutter against Dodgers righties, leaning more heavily on his sinker and slider, and the whole thing worked – albeit without the movement profile on the cutter we're looking for. This was a terrific result, and I think you have to start him against the Rockies in Arizona this weekend. But it still doesn't look like the version of Burnes we want to see, so if he gets through that start with the level of success we're hoping for, I'd be looking to move Burnes. | | Jacob deGrom, Rangers @DET: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K – Well, that's what we want to see more of, Jacob. I mean, we'd love to see more than five innings, but we also came into the season knowing there would be times when deGrom gets an earlier hook to manage his workload, and at least we got 10 strikeouts from him before that this time. Even after this dominant outing, deGrom's 27.2% strikeout rate is his lowest since 2016, so I still don't think he's back. But he doesn't need to be the best pitcher in the world to be a must-start pitcher, and that's clearly what he is. | | Ronel Blanco, Astros vs. CIN: 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K – This might have been the best start of Blanco's career, and that's saying something for a guy who had a no-hitter last April. But he was truly masterful in this one, leaning on his slider as his primary pitch for nine whiffs on 24 swings. But it wasn't a one-pitch show, as he had seven whiffs on 21 pitches across the rest of his arsenal, while generating a measly 73.1 mph average exit velocity on 15 balls in play. Blanco's ERA is still sitting at 4.04, but his underlying numbers are actually significantly better than they were last season thanks to improved results on balls in play. I remain skeptical of Blanco on the whole, but this was a really impressive performance. | | Clay Holmes, Mets vs. CHC: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K – Holmes' transition to the rotation hasn't been without its bumps, but it's actually kind of remarkable how much his numbers look like they did in his bullpen role – his strikeout rate is just 0.4 points lower than last season's, while his walk rate is 0.9 points higher, and he has maintained his superlative quality of contact suppression skills. Inefficiency will be an issue at times that limit Holmes' ability to consistently pitch deep into games, but his new changeup looks like a legitimate weapon, and if his sweeper or slider start missing bats like they have in the past, there might even be another level he can reach here. I'm buying into Holmes as a top-50 SP, I think. | | Ranger Suarez, Phillies @CLE: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K – Suarez never wows you with pure stuff, but when he's executing well, he is very, very useful for Fantasy. It's only been two starts back from the IL, one really good and one really bad, which is too small a sample to say what we're likely to get moving forward. But we needed to see a start like this after his struggles in his debut, so we're definitely holding him for now. I'm even inclined to start him against the Pirates this week. | | Matthew Boyd, Cubs @NYM: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K – Boyd's strikeout total has increased in three straight starts, to a season-high eight Sunday, which makes me more likely to hang on to him than I was a few starts ago. Boyd was more dependent on his usually mediocre four-seamer for whiffs than normal in this one, which doesn't inspire a ton of confidence, but the improving strikeout rate makes Boyd a solid hold. | | Griffin Canning , Mets vs. CHC: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K – Canning is another pitcher I'd be looking to sell high on, hoping other teams don't realize that, while he's generated solid results so far, it's come with just two starts of six innings in eight tries. And I don't think that's a coincidence – the Mets are going to do everything they can to limit Canning's exposure to the third-time-through-the-order penalty. It doesn't mean he's incapable of throwing six innings, but if he's only done it in one-quarter of his starts when he has a 2.36 ERA, what's going to happen when that number normalizes, as it almost certainly will. I can buy Canning as a mid-3.00s ERA pitcher with decent strikeout rates, but that's still probably someone who just fills out a Fantasy rotation, not a core piece. | | Shane Smith, White Sox vs. MIA: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K – Smith clearly has some talent. It's a deep arsenal with a bunch of different looks and decent stuff, and he's commanding everything well enough right now. He has also had a tendency to fade as his starts have gone on, however, and the White Sox obviously rarely give him a chance for wins – despite his good showing, Saturday was actually the one game the White Sox managed to lose against the Marlins this weekend. Smith remains in the streaming discussion for now, and I would avoid him against the Cubs this weekend. But I can see a time when Smith looks like a must-start pitcher. | | Gavin Williams, Guardians vs. PHI: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K – Even the good starts feature a 1.60 WHIP and 19% walk rate. The thing that's so tough about Williams is, the stuff can be so overwhelmingly dominant, that it's exceedingly easy to see him turning into an ace with a few adjustments. The problem is, there just hasn't been any sign of him making those adjustments. I'm trying to roster Williams where I can, but it's almost strictly as an upside stash for my bench. I'd rather not start him if I can avoid it. | | Lucas Giolito , Red Sox @KC: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K – So, that's two pretty solid starts sandwiched around one absolute disaster for Giolito. Even in the two good starts, he hasn't been dominant, though there were flashes Sunday: His velocity was up to 94 mph, higher than any season since 2020; and, after throwing almost exclusively fastballs and changeups in his first two, Giolitio liberally missed his slider and curveball in, generating five of his 10 whiffs with the slider. This was enough to make me want to hang on to Giolito to see what the next start or two look like, at least. | | Bad pitching performances | | Bryce Miller, Mariners vs. TOR: 5 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – His command, previously a strength, has been a liability – just check out where this fastball to George Springer ended up before it ended up in the left-field bleachers. There have been some oblique references to Miller playing through some nagging injuries, and it just doesn't look like he's healthy right now. I think you've just gotta sit Miller and hope he figures this out. | | Jack Flaherty, Tigers vs. TEX: 3 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – The past three starts have been horrible, and overall, Flaherty's numbers are now pretty bad. But I just don't have a ton of concern. The stuff looks about as good as it did last season, and he's still generating plenty of strikeouts and swinging strikes, with both his slider and curveball continuing to look like elite pitches. I think Flaherty just needs to execute better with his four-seamer, and I'm willing to bet he will moving forward. He's one struggling ace I'm not especially worried about. | | Luis Castillo, Mariners vs. TOR: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – I'm at the point with Castillo where I'm just hoping for a good start the next time out so I can try to trade him – and I'm looking for that every time out now. His fastball, once one of the best weapons in the majors, is just an average pitch these days, and he hasn't figured out how to adjust to life without it. Maybe he will, but it feels a lot like Kevin Gausman last season, where you're just hoping he doesn't totally fall apart. Castillo might. | | Max Meyer, Marlins @CHW: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K – We would've been pretty happy with five strikeouts, one walk, and two earned runs allowed in six innings, I think. Meyer went back out for the seventh and ruined the line, but he did at least pitch better in this one. Against the White Sox, yes, we'll note that caveat. But his slider was back to working well as a primary pitch, so hopefully this is something to build on and get back on track. | | Sandy Alcantara, Marlins @CHW: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 8 K – I understand why Alcantara came back out for the sixth inning, but I think it would have been really nice to see one very good start rather than pushing him for that extra frame. Alcantara gave up several loud hits in that sixth inning, culminating in a three-run homer to Tim Elko that ultimately ruined the outing. Alcantara looked better in this one, but if you can't trust him against the White Sox … | | Roki Sasaki, Dodgers @ARI: 4 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K – If I had Sasaki in any leagues, I would be trying to hang on to him if I can. But he's basically given us no reason to think he can be a good major-league pitcher at this point, and I have no confidence at all in him as a starter for Fantasy. If you have the luxury to hang on to a purely speculative play who has gone six innings just once in eight starts and has never had more than four strikeouts in an outing … well, your team is in better shape than most of mine. | | Drew Rasmussen , Rays vs. MIL: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – Even after a few disappointing showings, Rasmussen's numbers still look pretty solid, overall. 3.38 ERA, 3.61 xERA, 1.05 WHIP … yeah, we'll take that! But I'm just not sure how much upside is actually here, and that's what I feel like people are waiting for with Rasmussen. He has flashed some pretty impressive upside, but never for more than a few weeks as a start – his last more or less full season was in 2022, when he had a very nice 2.84 ERA, but with just a 21.4% strikeout rate. If Rasmussen can't be a consistent strikeout threat and he's not going to go more than five innings – he has just one start with more than 15 outs recorded – he's a pretty low-end starting option, albeit one with a high-ish floor. | | Notable hitting performances | | Jasson Dominguez , OF, Yankees – All of a sudden, Dominguez's season-long numbers look decent – .250/.343/.448 for the season. A three-homer game in early May can have that kind of impact. He followed up Friday's three-homer game by reaching base four times in the next two games, scoring three runs, and hopefully has shown enough to stem the loss of playing time he was dealing with in recent weeks. However, Dominguez remains a pretty limited defender and hasn't shown any ability to hit from the right side of the plate (in a small sample size, to be fair), so his playing time just isn't as safe as we'd like it to be. We need more like this weekend. | | Hunter Goodman , C, Rockies – Goodman has been pretty streaky this season, but it's hard to argue with the results right now – a .288/.346/.489 line from a cater will always play, but especially when it comes with consistent everyday plate appearances, which Goodman definitely has going for him. He has kept the strikeout rate to manageable levels, though his underlying numbers don't exactly back up his overall line. Still, it was two three-hit games this weekend with his sixth homer of the season, and even if you don't fully buy it, the bar is so low at catcher that Goodman is worth rostering in all two-catcher leagues, and probably most one-catcher leagues, too. | | George Springer, OF, Blue Jays – Springer just isn't showing any signs of slowing down. He hit his third homer of June Sunday, pushing his season-long line to .297/.404/.517, by far the best we've seen from him in the past few seasons. And his underlying metrics actually totally back it up – Springer's .380 xwOBA is his best since 2020. And he's doing it despite the highest strikeout rate of his career, because Springer is actually somehow making more damage on contact than ever before. At 35. Year, I'm skeptical he'll keep it up, too. But he hasn't slowed down yet. | | News and notes | | Blake Snell is getting another opinion on his shoulder Monday from Dodgers team doctors as he continues to deal with left shoulder soreness. His plans to resume playing catch earlier this week were shelved as the shoulder continues to bother him. Hopefully he gets good news Monday, but this all feels very ominous. | | Tyler Glasnow did resume throwing this weekend as expected, so there's at least some good news for the Dodgers rotation. He's probably out until June, but it sure looks like he's going to beat Snell back despite going on the IL later. | | Oneil Cruz left Saturday due to lower back tightness and then was out of the lineup Sunday. The Pirates said Cruz is day-to-day, so hopefully we get an update on his status before lineups lock. | | Yordan Alvarez has been cleared to resume gripping a bat and could start hitting off a tee Monday as he recovers from his hand injury. | | Jackson Merrill was scratched from the lineup Sunday due to an illness. The Padres play again Monday so we'll find out right away if he's back in the lineup. | | Corey Seager was out of the lineup Sunday after his right hamstring tightened up on him Saturday. Apparently he missed Thursday and Friday due to that same hamstring, but then he went 3-4 with two homers Saturday. This sounds like something they might just need to manage moving forward, but hopefully it doesn't require another IL sting. | | Jose Altuve left Saturday due to right hamstring tightness and then was out of the lineup Sunday. Apparently he's still dealing with some tightness, but is hoping to return in a few days. I'm inclined to just sit Altuve for this week. | | Luis Robert missed Saturday and Sunday with right knee soreness. The expectation is that he'll return Tuesday, but given Robert's history, I'm not sure how comfortable I feel betting on that. And, given how much his value has been propped up by steals this season, I think this might be a spot to sit Robert. | | Ian Happ missed Saturday and Sunday's games due to an oblique injury. He played catch and took swings on Sunday, which is a good sign given how tricky obliques can be. | | Anthony Santander has missed three straight with a left shoulder injury. This feels like a good excuse to sit a slumping Santander. | | Ryan Weathers will make his season debut this Wednesday against the Cubs. Add him, but don't start him this week. | | Andres Gimenez was placed on the IL Friday with a right quad strain. Ernie Clement started all three games at second base this weekend. | | The Brewers moved Freddy Peralta's start back to Monday, so unfortunately he didn't start this past week for those who had him in the lineup. That makes Peralta a two-start pitcher this week at CLE, vs. MIN | | Logan Gilbert could throw off a mound by the end of Seattle's current homestand, which ends Wednesday. Hopefully we'll see him sometime in June as he recovers from his flexor strain. | | George Kirby made his second rehab start Saturday. He allowed 3 ER over 3 IP. Velo was pretty close to last year, and he got up to 54 pitches, so the results don't matter as much. I'd bet we see at least two more rehab starts from Kirby, but he should be back before June. | | Spencer Strider said that he feels ready to return from his hamstring injury, but the Braves have yet to decide whether he'll be activated this week or go on a rehab assignment. Even if he is activated without a rehab assignment, I'd probably avoid starting Strider for that first game back. | | Casey Mize was placed on the IL with a left hamstring strain. Keider Montero would make sense to replace him in the meantime. | | Hayden Wesneski went on the IL with right elbow discomfort. Ryan Gusto will rejoin the Astros rotation on Monday, making him a two-start pitcher. He's a decent streamer for points leagues. | | The Orioles optioned Coby Mayo back to the minors. I just don't know how he's ever going to prove himself if they won't give him a real try. | | The Brewers optioned Tobias Myers to Triple-A on Sunday. Brandon Woodruff and Aaron Civale are nearing their returns from the IL, so I don't think this is a window for Logan Henderson to return. Yet. | | | | | | | | Golazo Network | | 24/7 Sports News | Watch LIVE global soccer coverage on the CBS Sports Golazo Network, available FOR FREE on the CBS Sports App, Pluto TV and streaming on Paramount+.
Watch Live
| | Stream CBS Sports HQ, your free, 24/7 snapshot of all the sports that matter to you. Catch highlights, in-depth analysis & breaking news anywhere you are. Download the CBS Sports App to watch today.
Watch Free
|
| | | | |
|
|
