Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning of Monday night's 8-3 loss to the Cardinals. He finished the night 1-for-4 with the blast that came off relief pitcher Roddery Munoz, giving him three long balls on the season. Pena is hitting just .207 through 16 games but has increased his ISO with four of his 12 hits going for extra bases. His hard-hit rate and barrel rate are actually up this season as well, but his .200 BABIP has held back his overall production. His xwOBA of .371 stands in stark contrast to his .291 wOBA, so his metrics show he has actually been hitting the ball much better than his batting average reflects. Pena and his fantasy managers will hope that Monday's home run can jumpstart a turnaround in his average as the Astros continue their three-game set in St. Louis.

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI in the Cardinals' 8-3 win on Monday night at Busch Stadium. Donovan has moved all over the field this season and started Monday at shortstop before moving to second base later in the game. Wherever he has played defensively, the 28-year-old has brought good offensive production this season, hitting .391 over his first 16 games of the year with five doubles, two home runs, four walks, a stolen base, and a .427 wOBA. His increased production is backed up by a 50.9% hard-hit rate, according to Statcast. The versatile utilityman should continue to get plenty of work for the Cardinals and is a good fantasy option in all formats while he's so locked in at the plate.

From RotoBaller

San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez hit his second home run of the season while going 3-for-5 with two runs scored in Monday night's win over the visiting Cubs. San Diego's 10-4 victory brought them to an MLB-best 14-3 record for the season and a perfect 11-0 at Petco Park. Arraez's solo home run came in the eighth inning as the second of back-to-back blasts, following Fernando Tatis Jr.'s second homer of the game. In his 17 games this season, Arraez now has a .282 batting average and .314 wOBA, but his slight downturn in average appears mostly due to bad luck with just a .261 BABIP. His hard-hit rate is on track with last year's mark, and he should be due for some positive regression as he continues to hit near the top of the order for one of the best offenses in baseball.

From RotoBaller

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run off Dylan Cease on Monday night, but his Cubs lost 10-4 to the Padres. Busch's home run continues a strong start to the season for the 27-year-old lefty, who is now up to a .310 batting average and .436 wOBA through his first 18 games with four homers, 12 runs scored, and 12 RBI. Busch's strong start and spot in the heart of the Cubs' productive batting order make him a solid option from the waiver wire in mixed leagues if available. He is still platooning a little bit and sitting against lefties, but when he is in the lineup, he has proven he can produce good run production numbers

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani had been in a little bit of a slump by his lofty standards before going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored, and an RBI in Monday night's 5-3 victory over Colorado. Ohtani raised his average to .296 with five home runs, four stolen bases, and a .402 wOBA on the season. He had gone just 4-for-21 (.190) with no home runs in his previous five games but kept the mini-slump from getting any longer with his big game on Monday. He remains one of the top fantasy hitters in the game, even as he continues to work towards his return to the mound as well.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) has been ramping up his rehab work over the last week by taking on-field batting practice and fielding in team-wide defensive drills. Over the past few days, he has hit with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints and with the Twins when the team hits before night games. On Monday, he took ground balls with the team ground balls in team-wide defensive drills before Monday's game. Lewis is still not quite ready for a rehab assignment and is not expected to be back in the lineup until May at the earliest. Last year, Lewis hit .233 with 16 homers and a .317 wOBA in 82 games, but he has been out this season after suffering a hamstring strain in spring training. He continues to make progress in the right direction, though, and will hopefully start an official rehab assignment soon.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Michael Chavis has been swinging a hot bat with Triple-A Oklahoma City and could push for a return to the major leagues. Over his last five games, Chavis has gone deep four times and tallied six RBI. During this impressive stretch, Chavis has posted a stellar .429/.500/1.048 line. This impressive stretch of performances earned him Pacific Coast League Hitter of the Week honors. Chavis inked a minor-league deal with the Dodgers earlier in the winter but was unable to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. However, fantasy managers in deeper formats should keep an eye on Chavis' production with Triple-A, as he could be promoted as an injury replacement later in the summer. If he were to get the call to Los Angeles, he could be worth adding in deeper NL-only leagues if he can translate this power upside to the big leagues.

From RotoBaller

Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Logan Evans was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week. He enjoyed an impressive outing on April 9 when he shut down the Sacramento River Cats. He tossed six innings of one-run ball. He allowed just two hits, with no walks, and struck out seven. This was a much-needed bounce-back outing for Evans as he allowed five runs and eight hits across five innings of work in his previous start. Last summer, the 23-year-old spent his entire campaign with Double-A Arkansas and held a 3.20 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP across 107 innings of work. He struck out 98 batters and served up 42 free passes. Fantasy managers should contribute to monitoring the Pittsburgh product's development at Triple-A, as he could be in the mix for a second-half MLB debut.

From RotoBaller

New York Mets infield prospect Luisangel Acuna went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs, and a stolen base during their 5-11 victory over the Minnesota Twins. In the third inning, Acuna would reach first via a base-on-balls and then steal second base. This was his fourth stolen base of the young season. He would then score on a Pete Alonso single. In the fifth, Acuna would hit a double to right field. He would end his evening with a single in the seventh and would eventually score his second run on a Juan Soto home run. The 23-year-old has now tallied a hit in each of his last four contests. During this stretch, he has swiped three bags and held a .571 SLG. With Brett Baty holding an underwhelming .139 AVG through the first two weeks of the season, Acuna could eventually become the top option at the keystone. If he continues to see stable opportunities, he would be worth adding in all standard leagues, given his ability to steal bases.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox infield prospect Kristian Campbell went 2-for-3 with a home run during their loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday evening. Campbell would score Boston's lone run in this contest on a solo shot in the third frame. Campbell would go deep against Tampa Bay right-hander Shane Baz. Campbell has enjoyed an impressive start to his MLB career. He has reached base safely in each of his first 17 contests. Across this stint, the Georgia Tech product has posted a stellar .328/.420/.552 slash line with four doubles, three long balls, and one stolen base. He has shown a strong eye at the plate, holding a 10:16 BB:K. Boston has typically deployed Campbell at the keystone but has also given him five starts in the outfield. He will look to stay hot at the plate on Tuesday, facing Ryan Pepiot.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero went 2-for-5 with a home run during their demanding 16-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday evening. Caminero tallied a one-run single in the third inning, which scored Jake Mangum. Later in the fifth, Caminero would go deep for the fourth time this season. This was the budding star's third-straight game hitting a long ball. During this impressive power surge, Caminero has tallied six RBI and held a .417/.462/1.167 slash line. Before the surge, Caminero held a modest .256/.283/.372 line over the first 12 games of the campaign. Under the hood, he has generated an impressive .488 xSLG with a stellar 78.8 mph bat speed, which suggests his power numbers should continue to climb. He remains a must-start option in all formats going forward.

From RotoBaller

Atlanta's 3B Austin Riley had five RBIs going 2-for-4 with two home runs in a 8-4 win over Toronto on Monday, Apr. 14.

Tampa Bay's SP Shane Baz recorded 11 strikeouts in 6 innings with the win in a 16-1 win over the Red Sox on Monday, Apr. 14.

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday. Scott allowed a pair of hits and struck out one in his inning of work. The lefty now has a 3.00 ERA and 0.89 WHIP and has gone 5-for-6 in his save opportunities. He appears to be the clear favorite for saves in LA, although Dave Roberts tends to change his bullpen usage more than other managers. Still, on a dominant LA team, Scott could be near the top of the league in saves this season if he can stay healthy and continue pitching well.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May continued his strong start to the season on Monday, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Colorado Rockies in a 5-3 win. May allowed just three hits and perhaps more importantly walked zero while striking out seven. The 27-year-old has been solid so far this year, but he did walk three in each of his first two starts, so his improved control in this one was good to see. After an injury-plagued 2024, the Dodgers will likely limit May's pitch counts, which limits his fantasy value. He should still be rostered in most leagues, as he has a good chance to help with ratios and could pick up some wins if he can be efficient with his pitches.

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray dominated the Houston Astros on Monday, hurling seven shutout frames in an 8-3 victory. Gray allowed just three hits and a walk while punching out four, earning his third win of the season in the process. Gray moves to 3-0 with a 3.13 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 23 IP after this one. When the righty is on his game, he can be one of the better pitchers in the league, and he is proving that again early in the season. Gray is absolutely a must-start option in fantasy right now, but could be considered a sell-high given his inconsistencies and injury history.

From RotoBaller

Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher Grant Holmes picked up his first win of the season on Monday, pitching 7 innings of three-run ball in a 9-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Holmes allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out four in this one. It was the first time this season that Holmes went even five innings, and after back-to-back starts with four walks, he showcased much-improved control. The 29-year-old has shown flashes of ability in the past, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him emerge as a decent fantasy option. For now, however, he remains just a streamer and deep-league option.

From RotoBaller

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal delivered a stellar performance on Monday, tossing seven shutout innings in a 9-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Skubal allowed just four hits, issued no walks, and struck out nine in this one. He didn't allow his first hit until the fifth inning, and the Brewers really didn't stand a chance all night. The reigning Cy Young winner now has a 2.66 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 23 IP as he continues to be one of the games best pitchers. He is arguably the most valuable pitcher in fantasy.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts delivered a solid overall performance on Monday, going 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, two runs scored, and two RBI. Betts hit a two-run homer in the first inning to set the tone for the Dodgers. The 32-year-old has been his usual self so far this season, hitting .304 with a .954 OPS and four homers. The only downside so far has been his lack of speed, with only one stolen base to his name. He should continue to be an elite contributor in fantasy, and it helps that he is hitting in one of the best lineups in baseball.

From RotoBaller

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered a standout performance on Monday, going 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored, and three RBIs in a 10-;4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Tatis launched a solo shot in the third inning and followed up with a two-run homer in the eighth as he continued to torch the ball early in the season. This performance elevated Tatis's season stats to a .361 average, six home runs, 16 runs scored, 12 RBIs, and six stolen bases. Tatis is a five-category stud, and with the way he is playing right now he could end up being one of the best players for fantasy this season.

From RotoBaller