Major League Baseball

MLB Quick Hits: Joc x 2, Springer to DL

Published May. 7, 2015 6:31 a.m. ET

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John Halpin

Do you want the good news first, or the bad news? Let's go with good. Dodgers OF Joc Pederson hit two more homers on Wednesday, giving him nine for the season. His last seven hits have been home runs, and anyone that drafted him will clearly be happy about it when this season is over. Just remember that with all those strikeouts, some bumps in the road are inevitable for the rookie.

OK, now for the bad news. Astros OF George Springer is on the seven-day concussion DL. Springer will be replaced on the Astros' roster by Preston Tucker, who had 10 home runs with a 1.028 OPS at Triple A. The guess here is that Tucker will get some platoon time, possibly with Robbie Grossman in right field (though Grossman is better batting lefthanded, and Tucker is a lefty). Stay tuned, and don't go crazy trying to pick up Tucker.

In other news ...

Speaking of the Astros, check out this nugget on SS prospect Carlos Correa from FOXSports.com's Jon Morosi. Correa is destroying Double-A pitching, with a .398 BA, six homers, 13 steals and a 1.203 OPS.

The Red Sox still aren't sure when OF Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) will return to the lineup.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (foot) thinks he'll be ready to come off the DL next week.

That was a nice game, Bryce Harper. Let's see it again.

Orioles SS J.J. Hardy (shoulder) might come off the DL in time for tonight's game in the Bronx. Hardy is owned in 30.8 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and can give your middle-infield power a nice boost. He's an option in all formats.

A's closer Sean Doolittle (shoulder) is probably one bullpen session away from a rehab assignment. Teammate Coco Crisp made his 2015 debut on Wednesday, batting leadoff. Upon activating Crisp, the A's decided to keep speedy Billy Burns, opting to send Craig Gentry to the minors instead.

Jeff Samardzija has dropped the appeal of his five-game suspension, and is scheduled to make his next start on May 11. Pitcher suspensions are a joke, aren't they? Anyway, look for rookie lefty Carlos Rodon to make his first big-league start on Saturday against the Reds. Rodon is as good a pitching prospect as there is, but he's struggled in a relief role so far.

Apparently, four teams are in the running to sign free-agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Your fantasy squad should not be the fifth.

Five afternoon games are on today's schedule, starting with A's-Twins at 1:10 p.m. ET. Set your lineups early.

Mike Foltynewicz got a win and seven strikeouts on Wednesday, and we'll take that from a streaming starter despite the mediocre WHIP and bad ERA. Today's pick is Arizona's Rubby De La Rosa (8.2 percent owned) at home against the big, bad Padres. De La Rosa's ERA is an unsightly 5.40, but his 31 strikeouts against eight walks in 30 innings suggest he's pitching better than that.

DFS advice (salaries from DraftKings): The Rangers have been better vs. RHP than LHP, but Chris Archer ($9,400) is still a solid play ... The Pirates have been terrible against RHP, so Anthony DeSclafani ($6,800) could work against them if you're looking to save money ... A's OF Josh Reddick has a 1.130 BABIP vs. LHP so far, and he's only $4,200 ... Brewers 1B Adam Lind ($4,600) has an .865 career OPS vs. RHP (it's only .591 vs. LHP), and he gets Dodger rookie righty Carlos Frias today ... The aforementioned Billy Burns batted second in the A's lineup last night, and he's still a bargain at $2,700 ... Victor Martinez ($4,400) is 10-for-21 against Jose Quintana ... Tigers SS Jose Iglesias ($3,200) is a nice, low-priced option against Quintana.

See you back here tomorrow morning.

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