Fantasy Baseball Daily Opener: Robbie Ray, Tanner Bibee, Jordan Walker (4/27)

Greetings, friends. Welcome back to those of you who followed along with the Daily Opener last season. For those of you who are new here, this is where we hang out and talk about what happened in baseball the night before.

Every morning, I’ll be with you to recap the previous day of baseball and talk about what stood out to me. We’ll find fun stats. We’ll discuss some top performances. We’ll lament some injuries. We’ll touch on any noteworthy news and updates. We’ll take a peek at the day ahead. We’ll start way too many consecutive sentences with the word “we’ll.” And we’ll have a few laughs along the way.

Have questions or just want to talk baseball? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.

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Fantasy Baseball News and Notes

Three Up

  • Tanner Bibee made his MLB debut on Wednesday and looked pretty, pretty, pretty good. Against the Rockies, Bibee allowed one earned run on six hits and no walks while striking out eight over 5 2/3 innings. All indications are that he is going to stay in the Show and should be a priority add in fantasy, especially given the state of pitching through the first month.
  • Esteury Ruiz stole not one, not two, not three, but FOUR bases on Wednesday to give him nine on the season. He doesn’t have any home runs but is batting .270 and is seeing regular playing time. The four steals are the first time a big leaguer swiped four bags in a single game since 2019. Ji Hwan Bae swiped three bags himself on Wednesday and is now up to 10 on the season.
  • Zac Gallen continued his strong start to the season, striking out 12 over 6 1/3 shutout innings in a win over the Royals. Through six starts, Gallen has a 2.15 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 51 strikeouts over 37 2/3 innings and is an early favorite for NL Cy Young. If you’re in need of pitching and looking to buy high, Gallen is about as good as it gets right now.

Three Down

  • Robbie Ray will undergo flexor tendon repair surgery and will the rest of the season. Bummer. Pitching has been an absolute mess this season, and managers who drafted Ray for his strikeout potential this draft season were hoping he would be back soon.
  • Kenta Maeda looked, umm, quite bad on Wednesday. He lasted just three innings against the Yankees, allowing 10 earned runs on 11 hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. To make matters worse, he left the game “early” (quotes added for emphasis because early is debatable given the final line) with an injury and is now headed for an MRI on his elbow. He’s expected to miss some time.
  • Jordan Walker was sent down to Triple-A on Wednesday, a few days after he found himself on the bench and out of the starting lineup. He was reportedly working on his swing during those off days, but now he is going to continue working on things in the minor leagues, apparently. With the Cardinals off to a slow start, they appear to be searching for a spark. Through 20 games, Walker was batting .274 with two home runs, 11 RBI, two stolen bases, and 20 strikeouts.

Fun!

Rub Some Dirt On It (Injuries)

Studs and Duds

Here are some of the best and worst performances from yesterday.

Studs (Pitchers)

MLB Pitcher Stats | Yesterday’s Stats | FantasyPros
PLAYER
IP
K
W
QS
SV
ERA
WHIP
ER
H
BB
HR
G
GS
L
CG
ROST%
1 Zac Gallen (ARI – SP)
6.1 12 1 1 0 0.00 0.63 0 4 0 0 1 1 0 0 99%
2 Hunter Brown (HOU – SP,RP)
7.0 8 1 1 0 0.00 0.57 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 70%
3 Roansy Contreras (PIT – SP)
6.0 5 1 1 0 0.00 0.67 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 16%
4 Yusei Kikuchi (TOR – SP,RP)
5.2 8 1 0 0 0.00 0.88 0 4 1 0 1 1 0 0 32%
5 MacKenzie Gore (WSH – SP)
6.0 10 1 1 0 1.50 1.00 1 4 2 0 1 1 0 0 29%
6 Freddy Peralta (MIL – SP)
6.0 8 1 1 0 3.00 0.83 2 5 0 0 1 1 0 0 90%
7 Patrick Sandoval (LAA – SP)
7.0 5 1 1 0 2.57 0.86 2 6 0 1 1 1 0 0 63%
8 Tanner Bibee (CLE – SP)
5.2 8 1 0 0 1.59 1.06 1 6 0 0 1 1 0 0 13%

 

Studs (Hitters)

PLAYER
AB
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OBP
H
2B
3B
BB
K
SLG
OPS
ROST%
1 Esteury Ruiz (OAK – CF,LF)
3 1 0 1 4 .667 .750 2 0 0 0 0 .667 1.417 26%
2 Ji Hwan Bae (PIT – 2B,CF)
4 2 0 1 3 .750 .750 3 0 0 0 1 .750 1.500 11%
3 Jose Miranda (MIN – 1B,3B,DH)
3 3 2 3 0 .667 .750 2 0 0 0 0 2.667 3.417 55%
4 Paul Goldschmidt (STL – 1B,DH)
5 2 2 2 0 .800 .800 4 1 0 0 0 2.200 3.000 99%
5 Nick Senzel (CIN – CF)
4 2 1 2 1 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 0 1.250 1.750 1%
6 Ha-Seong Kim (SD – 2B,3B,SS)
3 2 0 0 2 .667 .750 2 0 0 1 0 .667 1.417 14%
7 Nick Castellanos (PHI – DH,RF)
4 2 1 3 0 .750 .750 3 0 0 0 0 1.500 2.250 87%
8 Bo Bichette (TOR – SS)
4 2 1 3 0 .750 .800 3 0 0 1 1 1.500 2.300 99%
9 J.P. Crawford (SEA – SS)
4 1 1 4 0 .750 .750 3 1 0 0 0 1.750 2.500 5%

 

Duds (Pitchers)

PLAYER
IP
K
W
QS
SV
ERA
WHIP
ER
H
BB
HR
G
GS
L
CG
ROST%
117 Kenta Maeda (MIN – SP) DTD
3.0 2 0 0 0 30.00 4.33 10 11 2 0 1 1 1 0 19%
116 Luis Medina (OAK – SP)
5.0 6 0 0 0 12.60 2.20 7 8 3 2 1 1 1 0 1%
115 Yency Almonte (LAD – RP)
1.1 0 0 0 0 27.00 2.25 4 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0%
114 Phil Bickford (LAD – RP)
1.0 1 0 0 0 18.00 4.00 2 3 1 0 1 0 1 0 0%
113 Zack Thompson (STL – RP)
1.0 2 0 0 0 18.00 4.00 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 1%
112 Chad Smith (OAK – RP)
1.0 1 0 0 0 18.00 3.00 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0%
111 Jimmy Lambert (CWS – RP)
1.2 2 0 0 0 16.20 3.00 3 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 0%
110 Dylan Floro (MIA – RP)
0.1 0 0 0 0 81.00 15.00 3 4 1 1 1 0 1 0 15%

 

Duds (Hitters)

MLB Hitter Stats | Yesterday’s Stats | FantasyPros
PLAYER
AB
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OBP
H
2B
3B
BB
K
SLG
OPS
ROST%
292 Juan Soto (SD – LF,RF)
5 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 99%
291 Brenton Doyle (COL – CF,RF)
4 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 1%
290 Kerry Carpenter (DET – DH,LF,RF)
4 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 1%
289 David Villar (SF – 1B,2B,3B)
4 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 2%
288 Jordan Diaz (OAK – 2B)
4 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 1%
287 Spencer Steer (CIN – 1B,3B)
4 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 9%
286 Lars Nootbaar (STL – LF,CF,RF)
4 0 0 0 0 .000 .200 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .200 47%
285 James Outman (LAD – CF,LF)
4 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 79%

 

Dingers

Here is every player who hit a home run yesterday:

MLB Hitter Stats | Yesterday’s Stats | FantasyPros
PLAYER
AB
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OBP
H
2B
3B
BB
K
SLG
OPS
ROST%
3 Jose Miranda (MIN – 1B,3B,DH)
3 3 2 3 0 .667 .750 2 0 0 0 0 2.667 3.417 55%
4 Paul Goldschmidt (STL – 1B,DH)
5 2 2 2 0 .800 .800 4 1 0 0 0 2.200 3.000 99%
5 Nick Senzel (CIN – CF)
4 2 1 2 1 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 0 1.250 1.750 1%
7 Nick Castellanos (PHI – DH,RF)
4 2 1 3 0 .750 .750 3 0 0 0 0 1.500 2.250 87%
8 Bo Bichette (TOR – SS)
4 2 1 3 0 .750 .800 3 0 0 1 1 1.500 2.300 99%
9 J.P. Crawford (SEA – SS)
4 1 1 4 0 .750 .750 3 1 0 0 0 1.750 2.500 5%
12 Brandon Drury (LAA – 1B,2B,3B,DH)
5 2 1 3 0 .400 .400 2 1 0 0 3 1.200 1.600 36%
15 Hunter Renfroe (LAA – RF)
4 3 1 1 0 .500 .600 2 0 0 1 0 1.250 1.850 85%
17 Gleyber Torres (NYY – 2B)
5 2 1 2 0 .400 .400 2 1 0 0 1 1.200 1.600 91%
19 Shohei Ohtani (LAA – SP,DH)
5 1 1 3 0 .400 .400 2 0 0 0 1 1.000 1.400 50%
21 Kevin Smith (OAK – 3B,SS)
4 2 1 1 0 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 1 1.250 1.750 0%
23 Victor Caratini (MIL – C)
4 1 1 2 0 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 1 1.250 1.750 0%
24 Trey Mancini (CHC – 1B,LF,RF,DH)
4 1 1 2 0 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 0 1.250 1.750 11%
25 Josh Naylor (CLE – 1B,RF,DH)
4 1 1 2 0 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 1 1.250 1.750 39%
26 LaMonte Wade Jr. (SF – 1B,LF,RF)
4 1 1 2 0 .500 .600 2 0 1 1 0 1.750 2.350 1%
30 Freddie Freeman (LAD – 1B)
4 1 1 1 0 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 0 1.250 1.750 99%
31 Joey Wiemer (MIL – CF,RF)
4 1 1 1 0 .500 .500 2 1 0 0 2 1.500 2.000 2%
33 Joey Gallo (MIN – 1B,LF,RF)
4 1 1 2 0 .250 .250 1 0 0 0 2 1.000 1.250 28%
35 Wilmer Flores (SF – 1B,2B,3B,DH)
5 1 1 2 0 .200 .200 1 0 0 0 1 .800 1.000 20%
38 Avisail Garcia (MIA – LF,RF)
3 1 1 1 0 .333 .500 1 0 0 1 0 1.333 1.833 1%
39 Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL – RF,DH)
3 1 1 1 0 .333 .600 1 0 0 2 0 1.333 1.933 99%
41 Jesus Sanchez (MIA – CF,LF,RF)
4 1 1 1 0 .250 .250 1 0 0 0 2 1.000 1.250 0%
42 Jazz Chisholm Jr. (MIA – 2B,CF)
4 1 1 1 0 .250 .250 1 0 0 0 1 1.000 1.250 90%
43 Masataka Yoshida (BOS – DH,LF)
4 1 1 1 0 .250 .250 1 0 0 0 1 1.000 1.250 83%
47 Matt Olson (ATL – 1B)
5 1 1 1 0 .200 .200 1 0 0 0 3 .800 1.000 99%
48 Jeimer Candelario (WSH – 3B)
5 1 1 1 0 .200 .200 1 0 0 0 2 .800 1.000 5%
49 Julio Rodriguez (SEA – CF)
5 1 1 1 0 .200 .200 1 0 0 0 4 .800 1.000 99%

 

Swipes

Here is every player who stole a base yesterday:

PLAYER
AB
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OBP
H
2B
3B
BB
K
SLG
OPS
ROST%
1 Esteury Ruiz (OAK – CF,LF)
3 1 0 1 4 .667 .750 2 0 0 0 0 .667 1.417 26%
2 Ji Hwan Bae (PIT – 2B,CF)
4 2 0 1 3 .750 .750 3 0 0 0 1 .750 1.500 11%
6 Ha-Seong Kim (SD – 2B,3B,SS)
3 2 0 0 2 .667 .750 2 0 0 1 0 .667 1.417 14%
14 Victor Robles (WSH – CF)
2 1 0 0 2 .000 .500 0 0 0 2 2 .000 .500 3%
5 Nick Senzel (CIN – CF)
4 2 1 2 1 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 0 1.250 1.750 1%
10 Santiago Espinal (TOR – 2B,3B,SS)
4 2 0 1 1 .750 .750 3 0 0 0 0 .750 1.500 1%
11 Rodolfo Castro (PIT – 2B,3B,SS)
4 2 0 2 1 .500 .500 2 1 0 0 0 .750 1.250 7%
18 Cedric Mullins II (BAL – CF)
3 1 0 1 1 .667 .750 2 0 0 1 0 .667 1.417 98%
20 Thairo Estrada (SF – 2B,SS,LF)
5 1 0 0 1 .600 .600 3 1 0 0 1 .800 1.400 78%
22 Whit Merrifield (TOR – 2B,CF,LF,RF)
4 0 0 2 1 .500 .500 2 0 0 0 0 .500 1.000 48%
28 Blake Sabol (SF – C,LF)
3 1 0 0 1 .667 .750 2 0 0 1 1 .667 1.417 2%
29 Austin Slater (SF – LF,CF,RF)
4 0 0 1 1 .500 .600 2 1 0 1 1 .750 1.350 1%
32 Jack Suwinski (PIT – LF,CF,RF)
2 1 0 0 1 .500 .750 1 0 0 2 0 .500 1.250 17%
36 Carlos Santana (PIT – 1B,DH)
4 1 0 0 1 .250 .400 1 0 0 1 0 .250 .650 13%
37 Edmundo Sosa (PHI – 3B,SS)
4 1 0 0 1 .250 .250 1 0 0 0 1 .250 .500 2%
44 Nico Hoerner (CHC – 2B,SS)
5 0 0 1 1 .200 .200 1 0 0 0 0 .200 .400 91%
46 Jose Azocar (SD – LF,CF,RF)
2 0 0 0 1 .500 .500 1 0 0 0 0 .500 1.000 0%
54 Amed Rosario (CLE – SS,LF)
4 0 0 0 1 .250 .250 1 0 0 0 1 .250 .500 68%
61 Miguel Vargas (LAD – 1B,2B)
3 0 0 0 1 .000 .250 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .250 27%
62 Steven Kwan (CLE – LF,RF)
3 0 0 0 1 .000 .400 0 0 0 2 1 .000 .400 93%

 

Arm Barn Report

Here is every player who recorded a save yesterday:

PLAYER
IP
K
W
QS
SV
ERA
WHIP
ER
H
BB
HR
G
GS
L
CG
ROST%
17 A.J. Minter (ATL – RP)
1.0 2 0 0 1 0.00 0.00 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 54%
18 Kyle Finnegan (WSH – RP)
1.0 2 0 0 1 0.00 0.00 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 20%
21 Jose Alvarado (PHI – RP)
1.0 2 0 0 1 0.00 1.00 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 58%
22 Ryan Pressly (HOU – RP)
1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00 0.00 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 84%
25 Andrew Chafin (ARI – RP)
1.0 1 0 0 1 0.00 1.00 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 40%
26 Emmanuel Clase (CLE – RP)
1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00 1.00 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 99%
34 Josh Hader (SD – RP)
1.0 1 0 0 1 0.00 2.00 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 99%
40 Camilo Doval (SF – RP)
0.2 0 0 0 1 0.00 1.50 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 78%

 

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Mike Maher is an editor and content manager at FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive, and follow him on Twitter @MikeMaher.