Milwaukee Brewers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Aaron Civale (hamstring) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained hamstring. The 29-year-old was pulled from Sunday's start after three innings of work. Fantasy managers should monitor his status, but should expect him to be sidelined for most of April. Before exiting Sunday's game, Civale allowed four hits and five earned runs across three innings of work. With Civale sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Elvin Rodriguez to remain in the starting rotation going forward. In addition, the Brewers may have to promote a starting pitcher from Triple-A or begin to stretch out their bullpen arms. Civale joins a long list of injuries to Milwaukee's arms, such as Tobias Myers (oblique) and Aaron Ashby (oblique). This could also open the door for top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski to join the MLB roster.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins is not in Sunday's lineup when the Brewers conclude their opening series against the New York Yankees. Hoskins started at first base in each of the first two games of the series and went 1-for-6 with one RBI and a 2:2 BB:K. As a result, Jake Bauers will get the nod at first base and face right-hander Marcus Stroman. Bauers has yet to receive a start this series. Across two plate appearances as a pinch-hitter, Bauers has drawn a walk and tallied a double. Fantasy managers should expect Hoskins to return to the starting nine on Monday when they face the Kansas City Royals. Bauers does have streaming appeal in this matchup facing Stroman, who allowed a high 4.31 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP across 154 2/3 innings of work last summer.

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Brice Turang was able to make Saturday's blowout loss look a little better on the scoreboard. The Brewers pitching had no answers in this game as they allowed the New York Yankees to put up 20 runs. Turang and the rest of the Brew Crew lineup was able to make the picture look a little better. Turang went 1-for-5 with three runs scored and he hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning. The speedy infielder is worth rostering in basically all fantasy formats right now.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sanchez will make his Orioles debut on Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays. Sanchez was riding pine during the opening two games of the series but will make his first start as an Oriole behind the dish. As a result, Adley Rutschman will serve as the designated hitter. The Orioles signed Sanchez to a one-year $8.5 million contract in the winter. Last season, Sanchez appeared in 89 contests for the Milwaukee Brewers and posted a .220/.307/.392 slash line with seven doubles and 11 long balls. He generated a modest 10.5 percent barrel rate with a 44.5 percent hard-hit rate. Fantasy managers should expect Sanchez to continue to see a limited role in the Baltimore offense, operating as the No. 2 backstop. He should not be targeted in DFS this afternoon, facing Max Scherzer, who will make his Toronto debut.

The Detroit Tigers announced on Friday that they acquired outfielder Brewer Hicklen from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations. The Tigers have optioned Hicklen to Triple-A Toledo. In a corresponding move to create room on the 40-man roster, Detroit moved right-hander Ty Madden (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. Hicklen, 29, was a former seventh-round pick by the Kansas City Royals out of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He made his big-league debut in 2022 with KC and played in only three games for the Brewers in 2024, going hitless in five at-bats with four K's. Hicklen slashed .246/.363/.470 with an .833 OPS, 22 home runs, 72 RBI and 44 stolen bases in 115 games last year at Triple-A Nashville. He will represent outfield depth with plenty of speed for the Tigers, who are pretty short-handed in the outfield to open the 2025 regular season.