Rotoworld MLB Daily Dose: Thursday 05/04/2017

[Rotoworld.com Fantasy Baseball]( Rotoworld.com has all the tools you need to win your fantasy Baseball league. [Check out Rotoworld.com Season Pass]( To read this article on Rotoworld.com [click here]( [Player News]( | [Columns]( | [Injuries]( | [Transactions]( | [Depth Charts]( | [Scoreboard]( | [Tickets]( Daily Dose: Judgment Day - 05/04/2017 BY Dan Dobish [Ever Wonder? By NBCSports]( LATEST FANTASY BASEBALL HEADLINES [- Conforto goes 3-for-6 with two RBI and a run]( [- Judge goes 3-for-5 with 13th homer vs Jays]( [- Ian Kinsler leaves game with tight hamstring]( [- Marco Hernandez exits with shoulder strain]( [- Hamels (oblique) out for at least eight weeks]( [- Indians put Corey Kluber (back) on 10-day DL]( [- Miguel Cabrera (groin) in lineup Wednesday]( The New York Yankees promoted [Aaron Judge]( last season, and he batted just .179 with two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI in 84 at-bats. In roughly the same timeframe this season he is hitting a robust .330 with two doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 27 RBI while posting a 1.251 OPS through 25 games. The California native has went from a scuffling rookie to a likely All-Star. Let's hope for fantasy purposes that he doesn't turn into the next Kevin Maas. Maas, a 22nd-round pick in the 1986 draft, was a runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award in 1990, hitting 21 homers with 41 RBI in 300 plate appearances. He followed that up with 23 homers and 63 RBI in 500 at-bats during the 1991 season, but he tumbled to just .220 at the dish. After that he swatted just 21 homers in his next three seasons, disappearing from the scene just as quickly as he burst upon it. The power numbers and sudden burst onto the scene is about the only similarity between Maas and Judge, however. Judge leads the majors with 13 home runs through 25 games, and he is tied atop the American League with Minnesota's [Miguel Sano]( after amassing his 27th RBI on Wednesday. The 6-foot-7, 285-pound slugger is just showing no signs of slowing down. People are showing up early to watch him take batting practice, and he has been taking out his aggression on television sits as well as opposing pitchers so far this season. He broke a TV set with a homer during batting practice on Tuesday to add to his lore. The Yankees slugger generally had an average draft position (ADP) around No. 270, or somewhere in the area with 65-70 other outfielders going off the board in front of him. How many fantasy owners are kicking themselves for not selecting Judge with one of those late-round flier picks on draft day or using a tiny bit of their FAAB budget on him during the first signs of hot hitting? Well, take solace in the fact that none of the talking heads saw this outburst coming either. Judge's play has overshadowed a lot of other good stories in the Bronx, too. Is it possible to fly under the radar in baseball-mad New York? Well, it is when all eyes have been on Judge. [Starlin Castro]( has been having a bounce-back season, posting an impressive .362 average with five homers, 16 RBI and a .945 OPS through 26 games. [Matt Holliday]( got off to a slow start, but he is hitting .269 with five homers and 18 RBI while posting a .915 OPS, re-emerging as a fantasy mainstay yet again. And how about the play of the 'other' Aaron, also known as [Aaron Hicks](. He is second on the team with a 1.048 OPS through 20 games. Snakes Alive! I once had the opportunity to see the Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate from Mobile pay a visit to Zebulon, N.C. On one of their visits they had [Paul Goldschmidt]( and [A.J. Pollock]( in the lineup. It's amazing to see how the dynamic duo have emerged as stars in this league. Pollock is hitting .316 with 10 doubles, a triple, two homers, eight RBI and 11 stolen bases with a .361 on-base percentage, .474 slugging percentage and .834 OPS through 27 games. He has rebounded nicely after a fractured elbow limited him to just 12 games last season. Pollock hits for a high average, steals plenty of bases and is the oil to make the Diamondbacks engine run smoothly. If Pollock isn't able to get things started, No. 2 hitter [Chris Owings]( is right there to try and set the table. He has rolled up a .313 batting average with five homers and 21 RBI while swiping eight bases. Unlike Pollock, whose production isn't a terrible surprise given his past history, Owings has really turned up the intensity. His five home runs are just one short of a career high set back in 2014, and his average is 55 points higher than his career average. He is on pace for 28 homers, 117 RBI and 45 steals, making him a fantasy stud. The Diamondbacks have needed all the offense they can muster with [Fernando Rodney]( struggling at the back end of the bullpen. The veteran closer blew back-to-back save chances to close out the month of April, coughing up eight runs in just 1 2/3 innings. However, he worked a perfect ninth inning in Wednesday's appearance in Washington for his seventh save of the season. Editor’s Note: Introducing FanDuel Mixup, the newest way to play FanDuel Baseball. Smaller lineups, so you can draft your team on the go, plus fun themes every week! [Play now](. Pitching Pains The Texas Rangers placed [Cole Hamels]( (oblique) on the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday due to a strained right oblique, and it was learned fantasy owners will have to make do without him for the next eight weeks. That's rough news for an innings eater fantasy owners always rely upon, as he'll now likely return to game action after the All-Star break. The Rangers did it last season and still surprised even without [Yu Darvish]( and [Derek Holland]( for all or most of the season. The blow will be lessened somewhat when [Tyson Ross]( is finally able to make his team debut, but he is just getting ready for a simulated game Saturday, with GM Jon Daniels telling the Dallas Morning News it might be "several weeks" before he pitches in games. Another 2016 playoff team is also dealing with an injury to one of their most important arms. [Marcus Stroman]( of the Blue Jays exited Wednesday's start against Judge and the Yankees due to tightness in his right arm. That's the bad news. The good news is that Stroman's outlook isn't nearly as poor as that of Hamels, and Stroman might even be able to make his next scheduled start. The picture has been rather bleak in Toronto to date, but Stroman's 2.97 ERA and 1.18 WHIP has been one of the few bright spots. The Red Sox could also be without the services of [Steven Wright]( (knee) for the remainder of the season. He landed on the 10-day disabled list due to a sprained left knee, and the knuckleballer might be headed for the operating table. He met with team officials to discuss the possibility of surgery. While it's uncertain if he is done for the season, what's certain is that veteran [Kyle Kendrick]( will replace him. The former Philadelphia Phillies starter has rolled up 81 victories over 212 starts and isn't a bad AL-only option if you need pitching assistance. Just temper expectations since Kendrick coughed up 18 runs over 20 innings in three starts at Triple-A Pawtucket. National League Quick Hits: [Ryan Zimmerman]( continues his assault on opposing pitchers, rolling up a .488 average (20-for-41) with six homers, 17 RBI and 13 runs scored during his 10-game hitting streak. … [Eugenio Suarez]( belted his sixth homer in Wednesday's win against the Bucs while raising his average to .322. His three RBI also give him 16 on the season. … [J.T. Realmuto]( had a triple with four RBI to raise his average to .318. He is sitting atop manager [Don Mattingly]('s lineup and making the most of his opportunity to play regularly. … [Michael Conforto]( posted a pair of doubles while driving in three runs, raising his average to .357. … [Jacob deGrom]( was shaky in Wednesday's win, allowing five runs, eight hits and five walks in just five innings. But he helped his cause with two singles and two RBI in three at-bats before departing. … [Ender Inciarte]( was hitless in four at-bats with a walk. The Braves are just 2-11 in their past 13 games when Inciarte doesn't come across to score. … [Brandon Phillips]( has 199 stolen bases heading into Thursday's play. Once he picks up his next steal he'll be just the 48th player in history to post at least 200 steals and 200 homers. … [Ian Desmond]( is back and he swatted his first two homers in a Colorado Rockies uniform. After missing most of April due to a foot injury, Desmond is back in the lineup and making up for lost time. … Anthony Senzatela ran his record to 4-1 with another quality start. He allowed just three runs - two earned - and six hits over six innings to lower his ERA to 2.84. … [Chase Anderson]( and [Adam Wainwright](, the scheduled starters for Wednesday's postponed Brewers-Cardinals game, are set to toe the slab Thursday. American League Quick Hits: The Indians had no trouble solving the Tigers last season, winning 14 of 18 meetings. However, the Tigers have turned the tables and equaled their win total against Cleveland going 4-2 through six games. [Carlos Carrasco]( finally put the clamps on the Tigers, allowing two runs, five hits and a walk over six innings to lower his ERA to 2.18. … [Ian Kinsler]( checked out of Wednesday's game due to tightness in his left hamstring. He'll be re-evaluated Thursday, so we'll be glad to update when more information is available. [Andrew Romine]( could be worth a spin in AL play if Kinsler is forced to the DL. … [Kole Calhoun]( swatted a home run for the third consecutive game at Safeco Field in Seattle. He had managed just one home run through his first 25 games before his three-game homer outburst. … [Trey Mancini]( is up to 14 RBI with the Orioles as he continues to make the most of his opportunity. … [Kevin Gausman]( might be lighter in the wallet, and he could face further disciplinary action, after getting the gate after hitting [Xander Bogaerts]( in the back with a pitch. The good news is that it was a soft curveball he claims slipped from his hand. The O's and Red Sox had plenty of anger in their series. … [Ubaldo Jimenez]( came on for the ejected Gausman, so the team still needs a starter for Thursday. … [Yonder Alonso]( has always had plenty of power and he is putting it on display in a regular role in Oakland. The former University of Miami standout swatted his sixth homer of the season and he is up to 17 RBI. … [Kendall Graveman]( allowed six runs in Minnesota, but his ERA jumped to just 3.95. That tells you a little bit about how well he has pitched to date. Don't worry about this hiccup, as he is still a very valuable member of most fantasy rotations. … [Kennys Vargas]( belted his second homer while adding five RBI, and he is now hitting .364 with two homers and six RBI since being summoned from the minors on April 23. … [Eddie Rosario]( has a 13-game hitting streak, second-longest active run in the majors behind [Mike Trout]( of the Angels (16 games). Follow [@danieledobish]( and [@Rotoworld_BB]( on Twitter. Rotoworld.com © 2017 You received this newsletter because you are a registered subscriber of Rotoworld.com's Daily Dose. To unsubscribe, or to update your preferences, [click here.]( Please DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. For all inquiries, please [click here](. If you are having problems contacting us, send a letter c/o Webmaster to 1 Blachley Road Stamford, CT 06902.