Protection. It is needed in so many different ways. For fantasy owners, the best protection for fantasy owners is making sure you keep up with news concerning your players, such as hot and cold streaks, and whether an injury may impact playing time or lead to a stint on the disabled list. Speaking of protection, did you notice what happened to Yadier Molina on Saturday? The veteran Cardinals catcher took a 100 MPH foul tip off the bat of Kris Bryant in his groin. Even with all of the protection catchers wear, that can still be quite painful. My son had a similar event happen to him when he was catching in a high school game. The foul tip broke his cup in half. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured, but the same cannot be said for Molina. He underwent surgery Saturday night on his injured groin and will miss at least a month. Carson Kelly was recalled and should see most of the time behind the plate.
Yadier Molina's Day Gets Much Worse, Very Quickly https://t.co/AUtehtnM8S pic.twitter.com/WfFYQBY5sp
— ABDULAHI DASAR (@mrdasar) May 5, 2018
Yoenis Cespedes was removed from Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies after the first inning due to right quad injury. Mookie Betts also left his game on Sunday after being hit in the shoulder by a thrown ball. Both need to be monitored to see if there is any lasting effect on their ailments.
Some young pitchers have been a bit impressive in making their MLB debuts in the past week. Pirates starter Nick Kingham allowed just one hit in seven scoreless innings in his debut against St. Louis last Sunday, and he allowed four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings while striking out seven and walking one against the Brewers on Friday. He struck out nine without a walk against the Cardinals when he retired the first 20 hitters he faced.
Mike Soroka dominated the formerly first-place New York Mets in his MLB debut with a six-inning, one-run, no-walks performance last week. He struggled a little in Sunday’s game against the Giants, as he gave up four runs in four innings. It is not certain if he will stay in the rotation long-term, but his skill set makes him a young arm to keep an eye on.
Domingo German was impressive in his first start for the Yankees, replacing Jordan Montgomery, who recently went on the disabled list. German held the Indians hitless through six innings. He was removed after that, as he had reached his pitch limit for that game. He will make a nice fantasy addition, as Montgomery may miss a couple of months with an elbow strain.
#Yankees' Domingo German made quite the impression in his first @MLB start:
6 IP
0 H
0 R
2 BB
9 K@Yankees haven't allowed a hit through 7 frames. German is No. 18 on NYY's Top 30 Prospects list: https://t.co/tG77sJ03hS pic.twitter.com/ZjAYF0Wa1b— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 6, 2018
The Braves called up former All-Star Jose Bautista from minors on Friday. He will be playing third base for Atlanta even though he has been an outfielder almost exclusively since 2011. Bautista had a double in four at-bats in his debut with the Braves. Bautista hit .256 (11-for-43) in his tuneup with Triple-A Gwinnett, but he was 6-for-15 with a home run in his past five games. Fantasy owners, especially in deep leagues, should monitor and consider adding him to their teams.
Sunday was a tough day for some fantasy owners, as some big-name pitchers went on the disabled list. First, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw headed to the 10-day disabled list with left biceps tendinitis. The Dodger rotation should now consist of a combination of Rich Hill, Alex Wood, Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling, and the impressive rookie Walker Buehler. Buehler dominated the Padres on Friday, as he fanned eight and permitted only three walks. Kershaw’s injury is worth monitoring to see if we’re looking at an extended absence.
After originally deciding against a DL stint, the Mets’ Jacob deGrom will not make his next start, as it was announced on Sunday the right-hander was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a hyperextended right elbow. The Mets have called up 24-year-old left-hander P.J. Conlon from Triple-A Las Vegas to start on Monday. It is expected that deGrom will miss only the one start.
Albert Pujols made history last Friday night, collecting his 3,000th career hit. At 38 years old, Pujols is the 32nd major-league hitter (and second Dominican-born player) to produce at least 3,000 hits over the course of his career. His 3,000 hits and 600 homers put him in rare company: only Hank Aaron (3,771 hits, 755 home runs), Willie Mays (3,283 hits, 660 home runs) and Alex Rodriguez (3,115 hits, 696 home runs) have duplicated the feat. Oh, and he is not just hanging around for that feat, either. Hitting .256 with six home runs and 19 RBI on the year, he is still fantasy relevant for most rosters.
Congratulations to Albert Pujols on 3000 Hits. Let's take a look at what 3000 hits looks like over time… Amazing! https://t.co/OLXgkIoeIq
— Dennis Morris (@dennisbrucemor1) May 5, 2018
If you said the Blue Jays are promoting one of their top prospects, you may be inclined to think it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However the Blue Jays promoted top outfield prospect Anthony Alford from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday. He should see some time in the field after the Blue Jays lost Curtis Granderson to hamstring tightness on Friday. Prior to the 2018 season, Alford ranked third in Toronto’s farm system after posting solid numbers across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A in 2017.
The Detroit Tigers have placed first baseman Miguel Cabrera on the 10-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain. John Hicks will likely get most of the starts at first base for the Tigers while Cabrera heals. Cabrera was having a nice start to the year, hitting .323/.407/.516 with three homers and 21 RBI.
Also going on the disabled list is Yoan Moncada. He left both Wednesday’s game in St. Louis and Friday’s tilt against Minnesota because of the hamstring problem. The Sox recalled infielder Jose Rondon from Triple-A Charlotte. Leury Garcia is expected to play second base and lead off in Moncada’s absence.