In The Field
OF J.D. Martinez returned to the D-backs' lineup on Saturday after missing Friday's game with a stiff neck. Martinez should be a solid outfield option once again. Of Matt Kemp is day-to-day with another hamstring injury which could end up keeping him out of action for an extended period of time. Keep an eye on Kemp's status as he'll be a significant injury risk going into this week. 2B Javier Baez was back in the Cubs' lineup on Saturday after jamming his thumb during Friday's game. Baez remains to a solid infield option this week. C Willson Contreras is facing a two-game suspension for slamming a helmet to the ground which ended up striking the home plate umpire. Contreras has appealed the suspension so he may be in the clear for this week but owners will want to keep an eye on his status just to be safe. Look for SS Addison Russell to return to the Cubs' starting lineup this week now that he's recovered from his foot injury. Russell could be eased back into action but for owners in deeper leagues that allow daily lineup changes he's worth a look. 2B Scooter Gennett returned to the Reds lineup on Saturday after missing three games with inflammation in his hand. Gennett is a viable play in most leagues this week. SS Trevor Story returned to the Rockies lineup on Friday just one day after leaving a game with a hamstring injury. Story remains a viable option in deeper leagues. OF Curtis Granderson hasn't hit well since joining the Dodgers and has cost himself everyday at bats as manager Dave Roberts announced last week that he'd be platooning with Kike Hernandez for the rest of the season. Granderson isn't a reliable outfield option this week. OF Domingo Santana missed time last week with a trapezius strain but was back in the Brewers' lineup on Friday. Santana should be fine for the upcoming week where he'll carry startable mixed league value. C Travis d'Arnaud returned to the Mets' lineup on Saturday after leaving Thursday's game with a knee injury. d'Arnaud remains a viable option in NL-only leagues this week. Mets' SS Amed Rosario returned to the Mets' lineup on Saturday after missing time last week with tightness in his hip. Rosario is worth a look in some deep leagues this week. C Jorge Alfaro is getting a good look behind the plate for the Phillies as he's expected to start most games behind the dish during the final couple weeks of the season. Alfaro does have some offensive upside and is worth a look in NL-only leagues for teams struggling to find a regular catcher. OF Starling Marte is day to day with a shoulder and finger injuries he sustained in Wednesday's game. Keep an eye on Marte's status before plugging him into lineups this week. 1B Wil Myers is day-to-day after leaving Saturday's game when he fouled a ball off of his knee. Keep an eye on Myers' status before plugging him in this week. Padres' 2B Jose Pirela remains day-to-day with a finger injury as he was limited to pinch-running duties since last Sunday. Pirela has shown enough to warrant owning and even starting in some deeper leagues, but owners may need to look elsewhere this week if the finger continues to give him issues. 2B Kolten Wong continues to deal with a lingering back injury putting his status for this week in doubt. Owners in deeper leagues considering starting Wong will need to monitor his availability and be prepared to roll with other options. OF Dexter Fowler was back in action for the Cardinals on Saturday after missing a week with a knee injury but needed X-rays after taking a pitch off the wrist in that game. Fowler is a viable play in deeper leagues when he's healthy but owners will want to keep an eye on his status to see how his wrist heals up. 3B Jedd Gyorko was activated from the DL on Wednesday but he still isn't 100-percent recovered from his hamstring strain. Gyorko owners will need to look elsewhere with his day-to-day status up in the air. 2B Daniel Murphy returned to the Nationals' lineup on Friday after missing a couple games last week with a neck injury. Murphy is a strong fantasy 2B option once again this week. OF Jayson Werth was back in action on Wednesday after missing nearly a week with a shoulder injury. Werth is a viable option in some deeper leagues this week. OF Bryce Harper has resumed light running but it's hard to imagine him making a significant contribution before the regular season wraps up. Continue to look elsewhere.
On The Mound
Mike Foltynewicz is expected to miss a start this week after cutting his finger during Thursday's outing. Deep league owners looking Foltynewicz's way will need to look for other options this week. Jake Arrieta threw another bullpen session on Saturday and may be ready to return for a start against the Brewers next weekend. Arrieta will certainly be worth a look in lineups if he gets the nod Reds' starter Tyler Mahle has been shut down to preserve his arm and Amir Garrett has been removed from the rotation as the Reds strategize for next season. Mahle pitched well since his call up but can be dropped in redrafts where he was owned. Garrett likely wasn't owned in many leagues. Jackson Stephens and Rookie Davis will fill out the Reds rotation over the next two weeks but can't be trusted in fantasy rotations at this point in the season. The Rockies made a change in their rotation last week shifting Kyle Freeland to the bullpen and replacing him with Tyler Anderson. Anderson is a risky start at this point in the fantasy season. Brandon McCarthy has recovered from his finger injury and should return to the Dodgers next week, though he'll likely be used out of the bullpen going forward. Fantasy owners can ignore McCarthy in fantasy circles for the final two weeks of the season. Hyun-Jin Ryu will start today's game after having his last turn skipped in the rotation. Ryu should be in play for owners this week but will need to be monitored as the Dodgers rotation is in flux down the stretch. Noah Syndergaard has nearly recovered from his lat strain but it looks like the Mets will use him out of the bullpen rather than trying to squeeze a start or two out of him over the last two weeks. He can be ignored for fantasy purposes. Highly-touted prospect Tyler Glasnow got another chance in the Pirates rotation but struggled again, surrendering 5 runs in 2.2 innings against the Brewers on Wednesday. Glasnow was outstanding at Triple-A this season but can't seem to put it together at the big league level yet, making him too risky for fantasy owners to start. After being skipped in the rotation, look for Jameson Taillon to return to the mound for a start this week. Taillon is worth a look in deeper leagues when he gets the call. Adam Wainwright is close to returning from his elbow injury but the Cardinals have yet to define his role for the remainder of the season. Wainwright took a big step backwards this season and even if he does get a start or two over the final two weeks, it'll be tough to trust him in fantasy lineups.
In The Bullpen
Brad Ziegler continues to deal with a back injury, opening the door for Kyle Barraclough to see save opportunities for now and potentially the rest of the season. Barraclough is worth picking up if you're in need of saves, but he didn't inspire a lot of confidence after blowing Tuesday's save opportunity against the Phillies. Mark Melancon underwent season-ending elbow surgery last week, closing the books on his injury-filled 2017 season. Sam Dyson will continue to close out games for the Giants over the final two weeks of the season.
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