Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz had a big night in an 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Cruz went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI to power his team to the win. The veteran went deep off starter Mike Montgomery in the third inning and followed that up with another blast in the seventh off reliever Jake Newberry. Cruz has had an impressive season, hitting .299 with a 1.010 OPS, 39 homers, 79 runs, and 102 RBI in 113 games. He will be an excellent play once again on Friday against Kansas City starter Eric Skoglund.]]>
Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto had a rough game, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout Thursday against the Braves. It was a rare off day for the star catcher who is finishing his first season in Philadelphia strong. Realmuto is slugging .630 in September with a whopping .352 ISO thanks to five home runs this month. On the season, Realmuto is batting .273 with 25 home runs, 91 runs and 82 RBI and has been one of the top catchers in fantasy. He'll try and continue his hot September in a tough matchup Friday night against Shane Bieber and the Indians.]]>
Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts to pick up his 12th save of the season Thursday against the Phillies. Called on to protect a one-run lead, Melancon struck out Jose Pirela and Cesar Hernandez before getting J.T. Realmuto to ground out to end the game. Melancon has been rock-solid lately logging 11 saves since August 13 with 17 strikeouts in his last 13 innings. He's the go-to closer in Atlanta and should be owned in all leagues where saves are a category.]]>
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kyle Gibson allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Royals Thursday. Gibson couldn't find the plate in this game issuing four walks, including two with the bases loaded. The rough outing raises his ERA to an unappealing 4.88 and he's now given up nine earned runs in 6 1/3 innings since coming off the injured list. His recent performance makes him hard to trust, but Gibson could be a decent streamer in his next start which will be next Wednesday against a Tigers lineup with the second-worst team OPS in baseball.]]>
Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez went 3-for-5 with an RBI in a loss to the Braves Thursday afternoon. Hernandez is gaining fantasy value late in the season as he's batting .363 since September 7 and manager Gabe Kapler has noticed batting Hernandez leadoff in four of the last six games. For the season Hernandez is slashing a respectable .285 with 12 homers, 70 runs scored, and nine stolen bases. Despite the hot streak, Hernandez is best left on the bench in a tough matchup with Indians starter Shane Bieber on Friday.]]>
New York Yankees designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (oblique) ran sprints and did agility drills in the outfield before the game Thursday against the Angels. Encarnacion is making progress as he recovers from a strained oblique but still faces long odds to return in the regular season as it's been announced he won't swing a bat until next week. If he does return the Yankees last series of the season is at Texas so if Encarnacion can play, it'll be in a park that boosts his already impressive power.]]>
Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (wrist) took batting practice on the field before the game against the Tigers on Thursday. Ramirez has been out with a right wrist injury since August 25 and is considered unlikely to make it back before the end of the regular season. Still, with the Indians in a heated battle for a playoff spot, it could be possible to see Ramirez late next week. Ramirez took swings from both sides of the plate and would be worth taking a shot on if he makes it back to the lineup. With many other players already deemed out for the season Ramirez could be worth stashing in an IL spot just in case he plays.]]>
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola allowed five runs in five innings and took his sixth loss of the season Thursday in Atlanta. There was traffic all over the bases as Nola allowed nine hits and two walks while only striking out four on the afternoon. This is now the second time in his last four starts Nola has failed to record an out in the sixth inning as he's been on a run of rough matchups. Despite the recent struggles, Nola is a must-start fantasy ace with a 10.7 percent swinging-strike rate that's lead to 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He'll face another tough test Tuesday in Washington against Max Scherzer and the Nationals.]]>
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (ankle) is leading off on Thursday. Rizzo was in a walking boot and expected to miss 5-to-7 days following a diagnosis of a sprained right ankle. Many thought Rizzo could have missed the rest of the season, but the slugger is returning after just four days. Rizzo will have a tough matchup tonight versus Jack Flaherty, but his return is a big boost for fantasy owners.]]>
Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts (foot) is expected to be ready to play against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend. Betts has been sidelined the last week or so due to discomfort in his left foot. The MRI didn't show any major damage, so Betts should be good to go here soon. The Red Sox aren't playing for much, but would love to get the reigning AL MVP back into the lineup before the end of the season.]]>
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Renato Nunez (hand) is back in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Nunez missed the last two games after getting hit in the hand by a pitch on Monday. He'll play first base and bat fifth versus righty Wilmer Font. Nunez has been in a bit of a slump recently, but has a good chance of breaking out of that with a favorable matchup here.]]>
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (ribs) is back in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Guerrero left early during Wednesday's game after diving for a ball and landing on his ribcage. However, Guerrero appears to be fine and is back in the lineup here. He'll bat third and play third base versus righty Gabriel Ynoa. Guerrero should be a fairly reliable fantasy option for this one.]]>
Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (shoulder) is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Kepler has not been in the lineup since September 14 due to lingering shoulder issues. Ryan LaMarre will cover center field and bat ninth versus lefty Mike Montgomery. LaMarre doesn't have much upside with the bat and he's not in a favorable part of the batting order.]]>
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel(hamstring) is back in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. This marks the first time that Gurriel will play outfield since landing on the injured list due to hamstring issues. He'll bat third and play left field versus righty Gabriel Ynoa. Gurriel doesn't have great upside with the bat, but he could be worth looking at as a cheap option in DFS contests.]]>
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (elbow) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Thursday. Kimbrel spent over two weeks sidelined due to elbow inflammation. He's been able to throw simulated games, and looked fine during those outings. It sounds like he'll be in the bullpen on Thursday versus the St. Louis Cardinals.]]>
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cole Hamels (shoulder) won't pitch in Sunday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He'll be sidelined due to shoulder fatigue after lasting just 3 1/3 innings during his last outing. Alec Mills has been announced as the replacement starter. Mills will get the nod against the Cardinals on Friday. It's unclear how long Hamels is going to be sidelined at the moment.]]>
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain (knee) was forced to exit early during Thursday's game against the San Diego Padres. The team has not announced why Cain left, but it is likely due to the lingering knee soreness he's been battling. Trent Grisham took over for Cain in center field. More information should be known about Cain's status following Thursday's contest.]]>
Cleveland Indians designated hitter Franmil Reyes is back in the lineup Thursday after missing two games due to what the team only called a family issue. Reyes is only hitting .200/.293/.340 with one home run in 14 games in September but does have 11 RBI thanks to Cleveland's lineup ahead of him. He's nonetheless a DFS fade due to his struggles of late. With series against the Phillies and White Sox coming up, Reyes is a low-floor, high-ceiling power play down the stretch in deeper leagues only, before he will likely be a cut for the final series against the Nationals' starting pitching.]]>
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty is drawing his toughest matchup in some time on Thursday as St. Louis faces the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley. It may be Flaherty's hardest start since an August 7 bout against the Dodgers, but he handled that one with ease: seven innings, no runs, and 10 strikeouts. He should without question be started in any standard league, but provides an interesting DFS decision. Mike Clevinger provides a much better premium option given his matchup with the Tigers, but there also aren't too many good options in a small slate, so go with Flaherty if you don't like anyone that much more for your second pitcher.]]>
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader is back in the lineup batting eighth Thursday after an off day on Wednesday. Matt Carpenter, in turn, returns to the bench as his lost season continues. Eighth is obviously not the best lineup spot for DFS purposes against the Chicago Cubs and starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks. You may want to attack Hendricks with Dexter Fowler leading off or Kolten Wong batting second instead, given their modest prices in a small slate as well as their platoon advantage over Hendricks.]]>