Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball

  • David Hamilton starts at SS again
    David Hamilton is starting at shortstop for the Red Sox on Thursday against the Tigers.

    Advice: Hamilton has now started five of the last six games in the middle infield for Boston as the Red Sox have transitioned Ceddanne Rafaela back to the outfield. Hamilton struggled defensively in his first chance in 2024 after being thrust into a starting role following the injury to Trevor Story. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he intentionally kept Hamilton on the MLB roster to just allow him to take a breath, and Hamilton has rewarded his confidence by hitting .311/.380/.489 in 17 games in May with one home run, eight runs scored, and six steals. The 26-year-old has game-changing speed, so if he’s going to play regularly, he’s worth a gamble in fantasy leagues. Rotoworld Thursday, 12:56 pm
     
  • Ceddanne Rafaela gets a day off on Thursday
    Ceddanne Rafaela is not in the Red Sox lineup on Thursday against the Tigers.

    Advice: It’s a routine day off for the rookie with David Hamilton playing shortstop, Jarred Duran in center field, and Rob Refsnyder in left field. The rookie continues to struggle with consistency at the plate, but he’s been in the midst of a strong stretch, hitting .273/.294/.394 over the last nine games with two steals, one home run, and seven runs. He has some swing-and-miss in his game, so there will be some ups and downs as he refines his approach, but he does have a fantasy-friendly profile and will remain a fixture in the Red Sox lineup. Rotoworld Thursday, 12:53 pm
     
  • Not starting Thursday
    Rafaela isn't in Boston's lineup for Thursday's game against Detroit, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

    Advice: Rafaela went 0-for-4 during Wednesday's loss to Baltimore, putting an end to his four-game hit streak. He'll take a seat versus Jack Flaherty and the Tigers while Rob Refsnyder starts in the outfield, moving Connor Wong into the DH role and allowing Reese McGuire to start behind the plate. Rotowire.com Thursday, 12:15 pm
     
  • Making adjustments
    The Red Sox advised Rafaela to hold his hands lower in his stance, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports. He went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's loss to Baltimore and is batting .206 with a 25.7 strikeout percentage.

    Advice: The goal of the hands adjustment is to cut down on all the movement needed to catch up to fastballs. "Be on time," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "We've been talking about it, showing him examples. It happens that we're here, too, [in Baltimore] and can use [the Orioles] as an example of how short they are to the ball and how they use their hands." Rafaela's been inconsistent overall but has hit better recently, going 9-for-33 (.273) over the last nine games while batting safely in seven of those contests. Rotowire.com Thursday, 5:34 am
     
  • Goes deep in loss
    Happ went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and two total RBI in Wednesday's 10-6 loss to the Brewers.

    Advice: Happ is 5-for-15 over his last four games, and three of those hits have left the yard. The outfielder had only two home runs across 47 games before this recent hot streak, but he blasted 20 or more long balls in two of the last three seasons, so it wouldn't be surprising to see his power production continue to trend upward. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 7:46 pm
     
  • Ian Happ goes yard in loss to Brewers
    Ian Happ went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI against the Brewers on Wednesday.

    Advice: Happ took Bryse Wilson deep to right field for a solo homer in the second inning to put the Cubs on the board. He then led off the fourth with a base hit and scored on a groundout before bringing a run in with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. The 29-year-old outfielder is slashing .226/.329/.376 with five homers, 28 runs scored, and two steals across 216 plate appearances. His underlying stats have all nearly matched his 2023 season with the exception of his strikeout rate, which is up to 28 percent after posting a 22 percent mark last season. Rotoworld Wednesday, 7:19 pm
     
  • Reaches three times in doubleheader
    Greene went 2-for-7 with a walk, a double and two runs scored in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

    Advice: Greene did most of his damage in the first game, when he went 2-for-4 with both of his runs, then cooled down against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh bullpen in the nightcap. That's a microcosm of the outfielder's season, as he was batting .257 with a .911 OPS through the end of April, but he's batting just .204 with a .590 OPS this month. Greene has the talent to get rolling again, however, and fantasy managers will just need to be patient with the 23-year-old. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 6:53 pm
    Riley GreeneDET - LF,CF,RF
    1:10 pm @BOS
    New Player Note
     
  • ‘Banged-up’ Semien sits for first time since 2022
    A “banged up” Marcus Semien is out of the Rangers lineup Wednesday for the first time since May 12, 2022.

    Advice: Semien has been playing at less than 100 percent after colliding with Adolis García in left field on May 18 and is just 4-for-33 at the plate in eight games since the incident. The Rangers are off Thursday and are hoping that a two-day break will help. Rotoworld Wednesday, 9:48 am
     
  • Lengthy starting streak ends
    Semien is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

    Advice: Semien will get a day off for the first time since May 12, 2022, ending a streak of 349 consecutive regular-season starts. Though Semien isn't nursing a new injury, manager Bruce Bochy told Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News that the 33-year-old will be getting a couple days of rest -- Texas is off Thursday -- before returning to the lineup Friday in Miami since he's been playing a little banged up after he was involved in a collision in the outfield with teammate Adolis Garcia in a May 18 game. Ezequiel Duran will step in at second base in Semien's stead Wednesday, while designated hitter Travis Jankowski takes over Semien's spot atop the batting order. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 9:43 am