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    Blackburn will start bullpen game Thursday

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    NYY Relief Pitcher #58
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    Paul Blackburn will start for the Yankees on Thursday in a bullpen game.

    Blackburn hasn’t thrown more than two innings in an appearance since June 17, so he figures to get a shot at two innings today. With Max Fried and Carlos Rodon both sidelined, there is a chance that the Yankees could stretch Blackburn out to fill a starting pitching role, but that seems to be a long-shot right now.
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  • NYY Relief Pitcher #58
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    It’s the first save of the season for Blackburn, and while not guaranteed to be the last, there’s a pretty decent chance it is. The 32-year-old has done a nice job for New York in his action out of the bullpen, and the pair of scoreless frames lower his ERA to 2.22.
  • NYY Starting Pitcher #40
    Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Weathers has been sick recently and will slot back into the rotation against the Orioles on Monday. The 26-year-old told reporters he lost nearly 10 pounds due to a viral infection that threw off his typical routine between starts. It’ll likely be a bullpen game on Thursday against the Rangers with long reliever Paul Blackburn taking the ball to kick things off.
  • NYY Starting Pitcher #58
    Blackburn struck out four and lowered his spring ERA to 1.48 in 12 1/3 innings. It’d be rather odd if the Yankees employed both Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough in middle relief — a lot of teams won’t even carry one true long man — but that would seem to be the initial play. One of the two would likely sub in if a starter goes down in the short term, but if the current rotation stays healthy, things will get very cramped once Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole are back.
  • NYY Pitcher #58
    Blackburn got the lesser split-squad, so the only regular he faced today was Addison Barger. Blackburn averaged 93.7 mph with his sinker, which is one of the best marks of his career. He averaged right around 90 mph when he debuted in the majors in 2017, but he’s steadily improved in recent years and came in at 92.4 mph in his 39 major league innings last season.
  • NYY Relief Pitcher #58
    The deal, which was agreed to back in late December, is finally official. Blackburn returns to New York as a versatile swingman capable of making the occasional spot start while gobbling up multiple innings in relief. The 32-year-old veteran posted a pedestrian 4.39 FIP, 1.51 WHIP and 34/12 K/BB ratio across 39 innings over 15 appearances between the Mets and Yankees this past season. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.
  • FA Starting Pitcher #58
    He’ll make $100,000 extra for 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 innings thrown. Blackburn will probably compete with Ryan Yarbrough for the fifth rotation spot coming out of spring training, with the loser of the battle going to middle relief. However, Carlos Rodón could be back to claim the rotation spot before the end of April.
  • NYY Starting Pitcher #58
    Blackburn bolsters New York’s relief mix, likely in a versatile swingman capacity, heading into the final five weeks of the season. The 31-year-old righty posted a calamitous 6.85 ERA across 23 2/3 innings (seven appearances, four starts) before being released by the Mets earlier this week.
  • FA Starting Pitcher #58
    Now that he can be had for the major league minimum, Blackburn will likely quickly be picked up by some team searching for innings. He had a 6.85 ERA in four starts and three relief appearances for the A’s, but his velocity was about as good as ever and his peripherals weren’t too much worse than usual.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher #58
    Blackburn has been jettisoned from New York’s 40-man roster to pave the way for top pitching prospect Nolan McLean to ascend to the majors for Saturday’s start against the Mariners. The 31-year-old righty has been limited to just seven appearances (four starts) this season due to injury, finishing with a disastrous 6.85 ERA across 23 2/3 innings of work.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher #58
    Blackburn, back from a shoulder impingement, just posted a 2.42 ERA in 22 1/3 innings over four starts for Syracuse, but the Mets are planning on sticking him in middle relief instead of giving him Frankie Montas’s rotation spot. Blackburn has a 7.71 ERA in four starts and two relief appearances in the majors this season.

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    Angels sent LHP Samy Natera Jr. on a rehab assignment to High-A Rancho Cucamonga.

    Assuming Natera’s rehab assignment goes well, he should be a potential late-inning option for the Angels in early September.
  • SD Starting Pitcher #44
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    Joe Musgrove (elbow) allowed one run in five innings for Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.

    Musgrove needed just 60 pitches to get through five frames and threw 70 percent of his pitches for strikes. He had just three whiffs on the day, but this has all the makings of a veteran in his final rehab start who was not really letting it fly. Musgrove has pitched well in the minors and seems healthy and can be added on waivers before his season debut next week.
  • CHC Right Fielder #6
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    Cubs activated INF/OF Matt Shaw (hand) from the 10-day injured list.

    Shaw has been out since late June with a hand strain. Now that he’s back, we have to wonder how the Cubs are going to split playing time between Shaw and Pedro Ramirez. Ramirez has been really solid so far this season, but the Cubs may look to get Shaw, their former top prospect, a few starts a week in the final month of the season. That could cannibalize both of their fantasy values.
  • SF Starting Pitcher #65
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    Landen Roupp limited the D-backs to one run over five innings in the Giants’ 6-1 win Thursday.

    Roupp was too inefficient to pull off a quality start, but he did get his first win since July 17. This does make six straight outings in which he’s failed to complete six innings. He’ll take an 8-13 record and a 4.25 ERA into his next start against the Pirates.
  • AZ Starting Pitcher
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    Jose Cabrera yielded two runs in 4 1/3 innings Thursday in a loss to the Giants.

    This looked like it might be a very short outing from Cabrera after he got a visit from the pitching coach in the first, but he did at least manage to get 13 outs. It took him 30 pitches to get the first three and then only 40 more for the remaining 10. If Cabrera sticks around after this, he’ll likely face the Phillies next Wednesday. The D-backs hope to get Michael Soroka back after that.
  • SF Center Fielder #0
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    Drew Gilbert hit a leadoff homer and drove in a second run with a sac fly Thursday against the D-backs.

    Gilbert’s homer to one of the deepest parts of Oracle Park checked in 407 feet. He’s hit a solid .243/.324/.392 in 329 plate appearances, but it sure would be nice if he offered any baserunning value at all; he’s 1-for-5 stealing bases this year.
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    Gabriel Moreno homered for the Diamondbacks’ only run Thursday against the Giants.

    Moreno is up to .303/.383/.471 through 105 games, and he’s pretty clearly been one of baseball’s top three catchers this year. The potential has always been there if he could stay healthy, and though his durability is still in question, he’s a legitimate star right now.
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    X-rays on the injured hand of Astros’ shortstop Jeremy Peña came back negative for any fractures on Thursday.

    Astros’ fans and fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief. Peña was hit on the knuckles of both his pinkie and ring finger on his left hand with a 96-mph fastball from Gerrit Cole. While he’s dealing with a bit of swelling and soreness, he shouldn’t require any sort of extended absence from the lineup. He’s considered day-to-day.
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    Red Sox signed C Tomás Nido to a minor league contract.

    The 32-year-old backstop has appeared in 43 games at the Triple-A level for the Tigers this season, slashing .236/.317/.368 with three homers and 10 RBI. He’ll add quality catching depth for the Red Sox.
  • MIL Left Fielder #11
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    Jackson Chourio went 4-for-5 with a pair of homers, four RBI four runs scored and a stolen base as the Brewers crushed the Mets 8-2 on Thursday evening.

    Chourio led off the game by lining the first pitch Sean Manaea threw for a leadoff single. He then raced around to score the game’s first run on an RBI single by Andrew Vaughn. The 22-year-old outfielder then clubbed a 389-foot (104.2-mph EV) two-run shot on a first-pitch fastball in the second that extended the Brewers’ lead to 4-0. He also started the fifth inning with a single, swiped second base and scored on a ground out off the bat of William Contreras. Chourio finished his glorious night with a 380-foot (102.8-mph EV) two-run shot off of Xzavion Curry in the eighth that capped off the scoring in the game. He’s now slashing a healthy .283/.345/.477 with 19 homers, 54 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 447 plate appearances on the year.