Fantasy Baseball Thursday Tip: Add DJ Herz to your streaming mix

Check out our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and get MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BETand the fantasy picks are based on ESPN 10-team, standard scoring leagues.

Note: This file has been updated with any pitching changes or weather-related game postponements made overnight, along with the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated publish time.

Add DJ Herz to your streaming mix

The Washington Nationals, currently 14.5 games out of the National League wild-card race, are on track to become the next NL team to officially drop out of the playoffs. There haven't been many positives to take away from the Nats' pitchers, who rank 25th in MLB this season with a 4.36 ERA, but DJ Herz's emergence as one of the team's best pitchers is certainly notable.

Through 16 starts in 2024, Herz has a solid 3.82 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He has limited opponents to two or fewer earned runs in eight of his last nine starts. The 23-year-old's real strength, however, is his ability to make batters miss. With 93 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings, he holds an impressive 28.9% strikeout rate, a mark that would rank seventh-highest in baseball if he had enough innings to qualify.

Against the Miami Marlins at home, Herz is a good streaming option for Thursday's eight games. The Marlins have been the worst team in the NL against left-handed pitchers this year (75 wRC+) and finished in the bottom four in both walk rate (6.7%) and ISO (.122). Herz is available in 95% of ESPN leagues.

What you may have missed on Wednesday

By Todd Zola

• Houston Astros 2B Jose Altuve left yesterday's game early because of soreness in his right side. He appeared to have been injured on a hit in the fifth inning. Altuve finished the at-bat but did not come out in the sixth inning. The club was already shorthanded with OF Chas McCormick out with a sore wrist. McCormick ran into the outfield wall on Tuesday. It's unclear if either player will start this afternoon as the Astros try to avoid being swept in the finale of their three-game home series against the Oakland Athletics.

• Philadelphia Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber was taken out of the lineup last night because of an elbow injury. He apparently sustained the injury Tuesday night when he dove back to base on a pickoff throw. The Phillies also had to miss a fifth straight game with JT Realmuto as the backstop recovers from a bruised knee. The club has today off and hopes both Schwarber and Realmuto will be able to return for the home series opener against the New York Mets tomorrow.

• Arizona Diamondbacks, RHP Merrill Kelly had to abandon last night's start because of cramps in his left thigh. Kelly completed four innings before leaving. The injury is not considered serious, but the right-hander has had the problem before. His next start is tentatively scheduled for next Monday.

• The Diamondbacks defeated the Texas Rangers 14-4. One save was credited to LHP. Jordan Montgomery after throwing three scoreless innings against the team he helped beat the Diamondbacks in the last World Series. Otherwise, it was a frustrating season for the left-hander, starting with his late signing, then his poor pitching performance amidst multiple injuries.

• The Atlanta Braves placed RHP Reynaldo Lopez on the 15-day IL because of right shoulder inflammation. Lopez suffered shoulder stiffness in his start Tuesday and managed just one inning before exiting. The Braves had hoped Lopez could avoid that much time with so little of the season left, but now they've made the switch. A logical replacement is RHP Ian Anderson, who hasn't pitched at the major league level since 2022. Anderson pitched in the minor leagues on Tuesday night, so he's perfectly positioned to take Lopez's spot. Anderson has spent most of the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, where he posted a 4.27 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Control has been an issue, which is common among players recovering from Tommy John surgery.

• Los Angeles Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernandez was finally back in action last night. He had missed the previous four games due to a bruised ankle sustained last Friday when he was hit by a pitch.

Everything else worth knowing about Thursday

• Frankie Montas (11% roster in ESPN leagues) has improved in all areas since being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline. Before the trade, he posted a 5.01 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 7.5 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 19 starts. Since being signed by the Brewers, he has made seven starts, posting a 3.92 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9. Use him as a streaming option on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants, whose offense is slowly nearing the finish line, posting an 84 wRC+ and 28.6% strikeout rate over the last month.

• The Texas Rangers plan to call up Kumar Rocker (4% roster) will make his major league debut on Thursday against the Seattle Mariners. Rocker, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, has pitched at three minor league levels this season. He finished the season with two starts at Triple-A Round Rock, where he allowed two runs and struck out a whopping 18 batters in 10 innings. The organization reportedly wants to limit the 24-year-old to around 50 total innings this season, meaning he'll likely make just two or three starts with the Rangers before being shut down. Although his fantasy league impact will be limited this year, players should keep an eye on him in keeper and dynasty leagues.

• Gavin Williams (12%) has had a rollercoaster season. Two starts ago, he pitched seven, one-run innings against the Kansas City Royals. In his most recent outing, however, he failed to get past the first inning, allowing five runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Still, an upcoming start on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays looks promising for the 25-year-old right-hander. Not only did the Rays rank in the bottom five in MLB with a wRC+ of 77 over the last 30 days, but they also struck out at a 26.3% rate, making this a great matchup for Williams.

• Rookie Hayden Birdsong has made 12 starts for the San Francisco Giants this season, but the results have been more bad than good. The 23-year-old has a 5.19 ERA, including a bloated 6.1 BB/9 and 1.73 HR/9. The Milwaukee Brewers' hitters should capitalize on this matchup. While William Contreras (99%) and Willy Adames (91%) are on the roster in nearly every league, Brice Turang (67%), Jackson Chourio (66%), Rhys Hoskins (26%) and Garrett Mitchell (1%) remain widely available.

• Betting tip of the day: Take over 5.5 strikeouts (-140) for Sonny Gray of the St. Louis Cardinals in their afternoon game against the Cincinnati Reds. Gray has recorded at least six strikeouts in 12 of his last 13 starts. In addition, the Reds have a 25% batting average against right-handed pitchers this season, the fourth-highest rate in MLB.

Starting pitcher rankings for Thursday

Discharge report

For the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers may be struggling with mild fatigue and who is most likely to snag a save or make a surprise hold in their place, check out the latest Closer Chart, updated each morning.

Hit report

Plan ahead in fantasy baseball with our Forecaster projections. Each day, we provide an updated 10-day preview for each team, predicting matchup quality for hitters (overall and by hand) and base stealers.

The best batsmen with less than 50% squad for Thursday

The best and worst hitters of the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system developed by Derek Carty that uses modern methods used in MLB front offices, taking into account numerous factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, the catcher's pitch-framing strategy and more.

• James Wood (WSH, CF – 25%) against Darren McCaughan

• Luis Garcia Jr. (WSH, 2B – 36%) vs. McCaughan

• Brendan Donovan (STL, 2B – 39%) vs. Jakob Junis

• Lars Nootbaar (STL, CF – 13%) against Junis

• Austin Wells (NYY, C – 13%) vs. Cooper Criswell

• Jasson Dominguez (NYY, CF – 10%) vs. Criswell

• Jake Burger (MIA, 3B – 36%) at Mitchell Parker

• Parker Meadows (DET, CF – 4%) vs Ryan Feltner

• Matt Vierling (DET, RF – 10%) vs. Feltner

• Kerry Carpenter (DET, RF – 11%) against Feltner

The worst over 50% of the listed batsmen for Thursday

• Brenton Doyle (COL, CF – 52%) with Tarik Skubal

• Adolis Garcia (TEX, RF – 81%) with Bryce Miller

• Cal Raleigh (SEA, C – 82%) against Kumar Rocker

• Brice Turang (MIL, 2B – 67%) at Hayden Birdsong

• Anthony Volpe (NYY, SS – 72%) vs. Criswell

• Randy Arozarena (SEA, LF – 73%) against Rocker

• Lawrence Butler (OAK, CF – 52%) at Framber Valdez

• Spencer Steer (CIN, 1B – 95%) at Sonny Gray

• Elly De La Cruz (CIN, SS – 99%) at Gray

• Jarren Duran (BOS, CF – 97%) at Nestor Cortes

THE BAT X’s best stacks for Thursday