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  • Jon Berti starting at 3B for Yankees on Thursday
    Jon Berti will start at 3B and bat eighth for the Yankees on Thursday against the Twins.

    Advice: Berti has started four games at third base over the last week, with Oswaldo Cabrera starting two and playing second for another. Berti has gone 6-for-19 (.316) in six games since coming off the IL with two steals; however, Cabrera is 9-for-30 (.300) in 10 games in May with six strikeouts and two walks, so he’s certainly not giving the job up to Berti without a fight. The two are likely to rotate the vast majority of the games for the foreseeable future which hurts both of their fantasy upside. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:55 am
    Jon BertiNYY - 2B,3B,SS,OF
    4:05 pm vs CWS
    Player Note
     
  • Steals third bag of season
    Vargas went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's loss to the White Sox.

    Advice: Batting third against southpaw Garrett Crochet as Nats manager Dave Martinez desperately tried to spark his struggling offense, Vargas didn't make a big impact but was able to steal his third bag of the year, tying his career high. The 32-year-old utility player has been seeing semi-consistent starts in May, batting .294 (5-for-17) in nine games with three doubles, two runs and an RBI. He's already played 10-plus games at both second base and third base in 2024 while also seeing duty in left field (six games) and at shortstop (three games), giving him some fantasy value in deep NL-only formats. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 8:21 am
    Ildemaro VargasWSH - 2B,3B,SS,OF
    3:40 pm @PHI
    Player Note
     
  • Heading to bench Thursday
    Cabrera is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

    Advice: Cabrera has been the Yankees' preferred option at third base all season, but he's started to cede more work of late to Jon Berti, who will occupy the hot corner for the fourth time in six games Thursday. Given that he holds a 129-point advantage in OPS over Berti for the season, Cabrera should still be the favored option more often than not, but both will see their opportunities take a hit once DJ LeMahieu (foot) eventually returns from the injured list to make his 2024 debut. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:54 am
    Oswaldo CabreraNYY - 2B,3B,SS,OF
    4:05 pm vs CWS
    Player Note
     
  • On bench in second straight
    Martin is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.

    Advice: After recently picking up four starts in a five-game stretch, Martin finds himself on the bench for the second straight day. While he's up with the big club, the right-handed-hitting Martin should play regularly versus left-handed pitching, but the trio of Alex Kirilloff, Willi Castro and Max Kepler looks to be the Twins' preferred outfield alignment against right-handers. The outfield will become even more crowded when Byron Buxton (knee) returns from the 10-day injured list, perhaps as soon as this weekend. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:20 am
    Austin MartinMIN - 2B,SS,OF
    4:10 pm @CLE
    Player Note
     
  • Pops homer in loss
    Espinal went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.

    Advice: Epsinal cracked his second home run of the season in the fifth inning and has hit safely in five straight games, going 6-for-15. The infielder is playing more than originally projected, filling in at second base for Matt McLain (shoulder) or third for Noelvi Marte (suspension), but Espinal's .200 average and .536 OPS are not enticing. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 5:27 am
    Santiago EspinalCIN - 2B,3B,SS
    7:10 pm @LAD
    Player Note
     
  • Hand injury considered minor
    The Mariners aren't concerned about Crawford's (oblique) right hand/wrist after he was hit by a pitch during Wednesday's game at Triple-A Tacoma, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

    Advice: Crawford's HBP forced him to make an early exit from Wednesday's minor-league game, but it appears he managed to escape the incident with no significant damage. The 29-year-old was expected to return from the IL ahead of Seattle's upcoming series versus the Orioles, though it remains unknown if those plans have changed as a result of his sore hand. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 9:09 pm
     
  • Exits rehab game after HBP
    Crawford (oblique) was removed from his rehab game at Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday after getting hit in the hand by a pitch.

    Advice: Crawford was visibly in pain after taking a 90-mph fastball off his right hand/wrist and was immediately taken out of the game by a trainer. He has been working his way back from a right oblique strain he suffered in late April, and Wednesday was expected to be his final appearance in the minors before rejoining the Mariners for their weekend series in Baltimore. However, the 29-year-old shortstop's return may be postponed if the damage to his hand proves to be significant. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 8:14 pm
     
  • J.P. Crawford exits rehab game after hit by pitch
    J.P. Crawford was pulled from his final rehab game at Triple-A Tacoma after being hit by a pitch on his right hand.

    Advice: Ouch. That’s certainly not what you want to see, especially when Crawford was set to rejoin the Mariners over the weekend. Presumably he’ll head for X-rays to see if there’s any structural damage. Stay tuned. Rotoworld Wednesday, 8:07 pm
     
  • Riding pine Wednesday
    Rocchio is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

    Advice: Gabriel Arias will take over at shortstop while Rocchio sits out the series finale. Rocchio lifted his batting average up to .208 after going 2-for-9 at the plate while he started each of the past three games. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 1:59 pm