Betting

Díaz kicked off the scoring by taking Brewers lefty Kyle Harrison deep for a leadoff homer. The 34-year-old on-base machine has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball so far, batting .550 (11-for-20) with six RBI through four games. The key to his early-season success has been re-implementing his approach and swing from three years ago when he won the AL batting title, according to Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass.

Harrison generated a career-high 16 swinging strikes and needed an economical 87 pitches (64 strikes) to navigate five frames in his Milwaukee debut. A leadoff homer by sizzling-hot Rays slugger Yandy Díaz accounted for all of the damage against him. The 24-year-old former top pitching prospect continues to impress, aided by increased fastball velocity and the addition of a new kick changeup. He should be rostered in all fantasy formats based on his recent performance and strikeout upside. He’ll face the Royals on the road to close out a two-start week on Sunday afternoon.

Weimer was 6-for-6 with two walks coming into the game. In the first, he hit a soft grounder and was initially called out at first, only to have the out overturned on replay. He then singled again in the third before finally being retired in the fifth. The Nationals might as well keep using Wiemer while he’s hot, though the plan initially was just to start him against left-handers. He probably won’t have any lasting fantasy value, but stranger things have happened.

Cabrera was staked to a six-run advantage by the fourth inning of his Cubs debut and had little trouble cruising to an easy win, scattering one hit and one walk over six relatively stress-free frames. Chicago’s big-time offseason trade acquisition generated 15 swinging strikes, topped out at 98.1 mph with his fastball and allowed just two hard-hit balls in this one. He’ll close out a two-start week with a favorable road tilt against the Guardians.

Acuña picked up his first steal of the season, but was also caught for the only negative to the contest. The 28-year-old scuffled in the series against Kansas City, but those two hits along with two free passes improves his slash to .214/.353/.286 over the first four contests.

Vargas did most of his damage in the early stages of Monday’s eventual rout at loanDepot park, putting Chicago on the scoreboard with an RBI single in the third inning before walloping a grand slam down the left field line off Marlins starter Chris Paddack in the fourth. It was his first round-tripper of the season. He picked up an additional RBI with a sixth inning sacrifice fly to cap off one of the strongest performances of his career. The 26-year-old former top prospect remains a strong corner infield option for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.

Remember a few weeks ago when it looked like Burns might open up in the minors? His 78 pitches tonight produced 15 whiffs. He averaged 98.3 mph with his fastball and maintained his velocity throughout. The Reds likely will employ quick hooks here from time to time, but Burns should be a strong fantasy starter, even if he lags behind in the wins department. He’ll face the Rangers on Sunday.

He’ll undergo further evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the injury. It’s an ominous injury designation after Ponce was carted off during his Blue Jays debut following an awkward attempt to field a grounder up the first-base line in the third inning of his first major-league appearance since 2021. The 31-year-old journeyman spent the previous four seasons overhauling his arsenal in Korea and Japan before returning stateside on a three-year, $30 million deal with Toronto. An extended absence would be a significant blow to an already injury-ravaged rotation that’s without Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (elbow) and José Berríos (elbow). An update on his status should arrive in the coming days, but he’s in clear jeopardy of missing his next scheduled start against the White Sox on Sunday.

Bibee completed a 26-pitch bullpen session over the weekend without any issues and has been cleared to take the ball against the two-time defending World Series champions in Los Angeles. It’s such a daunting matchup that fantasy managers were likely strongly considering alternatives to begin with this week. The positive news is that Bibee won’t require a trip to the injured list after exiting his season-opening start against the Mariners last week with shoulder inflammation.

“We spotted a few things and we’ll be able to get him back on track here for his next outing,” Espada told reporters on Monday. He also confirmed that Abreu isn’t dealing with any physical issues, which is an encouraging development. The 28-year-old high-leverage specialist, who is filling in for injured Astros closer Josh Hader (biceps), averaged just 93.2 mph on his fastball during Sunday’s outing against the Angels in a save situation after averaging 97.3 mph last year. He was ultimately pulled in favor of lefty Bryan King after issuing a pair of walks and recording only one out. It doesn’t sound like the Astros are overly concerned. King would be the clear stash for fantasy managers in the event that Abreu doesn’t turn things around.