Daily News & Notes — 2026-05-15 (pre-game)

Verdict tiers (consolidated to 4):

• ADD — pick up off waivers (high conviction)
• HOLD — keep rostered; buy-low/sell-high notes in body
• DROP — cut in standard mixed
• WATCH — situation in flux; revisit in 3–5 days

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Dollander exits early with arm tightness

WATCH · COL · SP Chase Dollander was pulled from his May 14 start after 1⅔ innings with right arm tightness, per MLB.com. Fastball was 95–96 mph (normal 98–99). No MRI scheduled as of postgame. Dollander noted the discomfort started after his May 8 Philadelphia outing. Colorado already placed Jimmy Herget on the 15-day IL (right shoulder impingement) earlier the same day. Tanner Gordon — recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque as the Herget corresponding move — covered four innings of one-run relief and is the immediate rotation backup if Dollander lands on the IL. Action: Do not roster Dollander pending imaging news; Gordon is the primary speculative add if Colorado needs a fifth starter; deeper Senzatela/Quintana speculation is premature.

Lindor's calf rehab still in slow lane

HOLD · NYM · SS Francisco Lindor is not yet cleared for baseball activities, per Carlos Mendoza on 5/14. MRI on 5/14 showed "signs of healing," but he hasn't started running progressions yet — Mendoza said he's now in the strength-building phase. Original IL placement: 4/23 (left calf strain). USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported in late April that Lindor may not return until "weeks into June." Replacements at SS have been Ronny Mauricio and Bo Bichette. Action: Hold in leagues with IL spots; do not trade for him expecting June activation. Mauricio is a speculative add in deep leagues; he was raking at AAA (.987 OPS) before his recall.

Buxton scratched with right hip soreness

WATCH · MIN · OF Byron Buxton was scratched from the May 14 lineup with right hip soreness after homering twice the previous day vs. Miami. DTD status — no IL move yet. Given Buxton's injury history, the org is being cautious; a 1–2 day rest is the likely outcome unless symptoms persist. Action: Hold; check lineups pre-game. If Buxton sits 3+ consecutive games, prepare a pivot.

Raleigh's oblique strain triggers Garver/Pereda timeshare

DROP · SEA · C Cal Raleigh was placed on the 10-day IL on 5/14 with a right oblique strain — his first career IL stint. The aggravation happened on 5/13 while backing up a relay throw. Oblique strains typically run 2–6 weeks; the Mariners haven't given a timeline pending further evaluation. SEA recalled Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Tacoma; Mitch Garver gets the bulk of catching duties with Pereda backing up. Action: Drop Raleigh in redraft; hold in dynasty with IL spots. See the Garver entry in today's waiver wire for the streaming play.

Yelich's back stalls comeback; Friday decision pending

WATCH · MIL · OF Christian Yelich returned from a left adductor strain on 5/12 (out since 4/12), then was held out 5/13 and 5/14 with back soreness aggravated after his first game back. Per @AdamMcCalvy, the Brewers are "optimistic they got out ahead of it." Pat Murphy will decide on a return or IL stint after Friday's game. Yelich has a documented history of back issues, including 2024 surgery. Action: Hold in all formats; the back history makes an IL stint plausible. Jake Bauers gets the DH reps if Yelich sits again.

Lee moves to leadoff in Giants' lineup shake-up

ADD · SF · OF Jung Hoo Lee (13% owned) batted leadoff on 5/14 vs. LA, a significant move up from his usual 5–6 hole, per @susanslusser. The Giants are auditioning Lee at the top — more PA opportunities, more run-creation upside. Watch the next 3–5 games to see if the leadoff role sticks. Action: Add in leagues under 50% rostered if you need OF speed/runs. Drop back to WATCH if he's bumped down within a week.

Ewing homers in third career game; Robert delay extends his runway

ADD · NYM · OF A.J. Ewing — the 2B/OF prospect, not a catcher — hit his first career HR on 5/14 and has reached base in 7 of his first 12 PA (1 HR, 1 3B, 1 1B, 4 BB). He's filling OF starts opened by Luis Robert Jr.'s lumbar disc herniation IL stay (since 4/30), which Mendoza said is "not progressing the way we'd like." Sample is 13 PA — pure noise statistically — but the lineup runway is real for at least 2–3 weeks. Quote from Ewing on his HR potential per @AnthonyDiComo: "I think it can be part of my game. I don't think it's going to be my identity." Action: Add in deep mixed and dynasty; be ready to drop when Robert returns. Standard-mixed managers can wait one more week.

Rengifo's 3-game multi-hit streak signals MIL 3B floor

HOLD · MIL · 3B Luis Rengifo extended a three-game multi-hit streak with a 3-RBI performance in MIL's 7-1 win over SD on 5/14, per @AdamMcCalvy. Rengifo is MIL's primary 3B (signed $3.5M in Feb, 1-yr deal with $10M mutual 2027 option) — he's already an everyday starter, not a bench piece. The hot stretch lifts his season slash off the .578-OPS basement noted in earlier coverage. He has no clean path to additional Yelich at-bats (different positions) — so the buy thesis is regression to mean from his early slump, not new playing time. Action: Buy-low target in 12-team leagues if his owner panicked on the cold start; the rebound is real, the role was never in doubt.

McLean's second 7-IP outing stabilizes Mets rotation slot

HOLD · NYM · SP Nolan McLean pitched 7 IP (6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 93 pitches) on 5/14, per @AnthonyDiComo. All three runs scored on a Gage Workman first-inning HR. Second 7-IP start of the season — role consistency confirming. The Mets rotation has bodies (Holmes, Peterson, Manaea, Myers, Senga-on-IL) but is light on quality, so McLean's volume earns starts even on middling-velocity outings. Action: Hold; target as a streamer against weak offenses. Not yet a "must-roster" in standard mixed.

Raley homers in 3-RBI day; Raleigh IL firms his lineup role

HOLD · SEA · OF Luke Raley (19% owned) went 2-for-5 with 3 RBI and a 74% hard-hit rate on 5/14. Season xwOBA 0.328, well above league average. With Cal Raleigh on the IL, SEA's lineup leans more on Raley as a middle-order corner OF / DH bat. Power equity is real; ownership is climbing. Action: Hold; fresh-add window is closing at 19%. Last-call grab in 12-team mixed.

Streaming Matchup — Royals @ Cardinals (5/16), Leahy on the mound

STREAM · KC offense KC visits STL on 5/16 with Kyle Leahy — the Cardinals RHP — as the probable starter. Leahy's actual 2026 line is 5.21 ERA / 1.53 WHIP across 7 starts. (An earlier xERA of 17.28 cited elsewhere is implausible and likely a data error or single-game artifact — disregard.) He's a back-end starter with a fly-ball lean at Busch Stadium, where right-handed power plays. Royals RH bats vs. Leahy is the matchup edge. Action: Target KC RH hitters under 40% owned for a single-game stream — corner bats and DH-eligible plays first.

Brash starts AAA rehab assignment

WATCH · SEA · RP Matt Brash was assigned to Triple-A Tacoma on 5/14 for a rehab outing, per New Baseball Media. 15-day IL since 4/30; ETA was 5/15 (earliest). The rehab ramp suggests late-May activation. With SEA's bullpen tightening in the wake of Raleigh's IL stretch, a healthy Brash adds late-inning options. Action: Monitor; if Brash logs 2 clean Tacoma outings, expect activation. Holds-league add at activation time.

Lockridge off crutches; mid-to-late June return tracking

WATCH · MIL · OF Brandon Lockridge is off crutches and on the stationary bike, per @AdamMcCalvy. Original injury was a major cut and bruise to his right knee (sliding for a fly ball on 5/9); subsequent imaging cleared bone bruise without fractures or tears. Expected return: 4–6 weeks from 5/12 IL placement (mid-to-late June). Action: Stash in deep leagues with IL spots; no immediate add pressure.

Cole Henry strikes out two in FCL rehab outing

WATCH · WSH · RP Cole Henry struck out 2 over 1 IP for WSH's FCL affiliate on 5/14 per New Baseball Media. 15-day IL since early April; rehab activity suggests late-May/early-June activation. Washington's bullpen has room for a healthy Henry. Action: Monitor rehab schedule; flag for activation if he logs 2+ clean innings in the next 7 days.

Criswell continues TJS rehab at Albuquerque

WATCH · COL · RP Jeff Criswell was assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque to continue rehab from Spring 2025 Tommy John surgery, per MLB Trade Rumors. Pre-TJS, he had a 2.75 ERA across his first 19.2 MLB innings (2024) with a 31% K rate. 60-day IL since spring; mid-to-late season return likely. Action: Dynasty/ultra-deep stash only; track Albuquerque outing frequency for acceleration clues.