NL Week 11 Strategy-June 23, 2018

Phil Double

Jun 24, 2018

In The Field

OF Ronald Acuna has been hitting and running in his rehab. He started a rehab assignment on Friday, June 22nd and could be back late next week. OF Ryan Braun had a cryotherapy session done on his troublesome right thumb. This is concerning for his playing time and effectiveness going forward. He is considered day-to-day. SS Paul DeJong (hand) is recovering nicely from surgery and has begun hitting this week. He is experiencing no pain when hitting off a pitching machine. He is expected back in early July. OF A.J. Pollock (thumb) has not resumed baseball activities making his return date murky due to the slow recovery from his left thumb fracture. OF Steven Souza Jr. (pectoral) has resumed throwing but not hitting. He has experienced a reduction in swelling which is a positive. 2B Chase Utley was activated from the 10-day DL on Friday and will play a part-time role for the Dodgers. 3B Evan Longoria (left hand surgery) was placed on the 10-day DL on June 15 and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. 3B Pablo Sandoval is going to receive the majority of the playing time with Longoria out. Sandoval is slashing .281/.353/.453 in 156 PA. OF Garrett Cooper (wrist) has started a rehab assignment and could be back by the beginning of July. 3B Martin Prado has resumed baseball activities and could return by the end of the month if everything continues as planned. OF Jay Bruce was placed on the 10-day DL on June 19 retroactive to June 18 with a right hip strain. This means that the Mets get some wiggle time to keep OF Michael Conforto in the lineup. OF Yoenis Cespedes continues to rehab from his lower body injuries (hamstring/quad) and his return is still unknown. 3B David Wright has started a throwing program but at this point, it would quite an accomplishment if he even stepped on the field in 2018. 1B/OF Matt Adams was placed on the 10-day DL on June 16 with a fractured left index finger. C Matt Wieters caught a bullpen and ran on the field this week as he recovers from hamstring surgery. His return is still scheduled for late July. 1B Ryan Zimmerman is hitting and fielding grounders which means a return before the end of the month is likely. OF Franchy Cordero has been shut down from baseball activities and is currently weighing surgery on his injured right elbow. C Austin Hedges could return before the end of the Padres weekend series or early next week at the latest. 1B Dylan Cozens has resumed throwing and could return to the Phillies before the end of the month. SS J.P. Crawford can't catch a break as he was placed on the 10-day DL with a broken left hand. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. The biggest winners out of this scenario is going to be 3B Maikel Franco and UTIL Scott Kingery. OF Corey Dickerson was reinstated from family emergency leave. 2B/OF Adam Frazier was optioned to Triple-A. OF Preston Tucker was optioned to Triple-A. OF Mac Williamson was optioned to Triple-A after performing poorly after coming back from injury. OF Domingo Santana has drawn the short straw in the crowded Brewers outfield as he was optioned to Triple-A. Reds top prospect 3B Nick Senzel will undergo season-ending surgery on his right index finger. OF Lorenzo Cain exited Saturday's game with groin tightness.

On The Mound

Mike Foltynewicz (tricep tightness) threw a bullpen on June 16 and is expected to come off the DL and start on Monday against the Reds. Zach Davies (rotator cuff inflammation) began a rehab assignment on June 19 and is expected back in early July. Wade Miley (right oblique strain) is scheduled to throw another simulated game on Sunday before heading out on a rehab assignment. Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) has progressed from long toss to flat ground and is close to mound work. He still needs at least a month of mound work to get his arm in shape for starting. A return before the trade deadline is looking unlikely. Michael Wacha (left oblique strain) was placed on the 10-day DL on June 21 and the Cardinals subsequently called up John Gant who has made three starts at the major league level. He has shown decent skills in across Triple-A and the major league this year. He has a 24% K, 8% BB, 13% SwStr, and 49% GB in his three starts. He is worth an add in almost every format. Adam Wainwright (elbow) is still not expected to resume throwing until early July and his return for 2018 is not guaranteed. Yu Darvish (tricep) threw a 51 pitch simulated game on June 20 and could begin a rehab as soon as June 25. Drew Smyly (TJS) is hoping to start a rehab assignment in July. Shelby Miller (TJS) is expected to make his 2018 debut on Monday. This will be his first start in 14 months since having Tommy John surgery. Robbie Ray (oblique) was sent on a rehab assignment on June 19. Walker Buehler (right rib microfracture) threw a bullpen session today and could be close to returning. Clayton Kershaw (back) convinced the Dodgers to skip his rehab start and activate him on Saturday. Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin) and Tom Koehler (shoulder) experienced setbacks in their returns from injury and their returns are unclear. Johnny Cueto (elbow) made a rehab start on Saturday and was to be limited to 30 pitches. He will likely need 3-4 more rehab starts before being recalled. Jeff Samardzija (shoulder) is slated to throw 70 pitches in a rehab start on Thursday and manager Bruce Bochy expects that he will need at least three rehab starts before coming back up. Noah Syndergaard (finger) has resumed throwing but there is no timetable for a return. Jeremy Hellickson (hamstring) has been cleared for a rehab start and will likely rejoin the Nationals rotation next week. Stephen Strasburg (shoulder) has not resumed throwing and his return is still TBD at this point. Bryan Mitchell (shoulder impingement) was placed on the 10-day DL on June 20 and will be shut down from throwing. Jerad Eickhoff (right arm) threw a bullpen on June 19 as he tries to recover from numbness in his right hand. Homer Bailey (knee) was shut down and was scheduled to see the Reds training staff on June 20 to reassess his rehab. Jordan Lyles was scratched from this start on Saturday with forearm tightness.

In The Bullpen

Matt Albers (shoulder discomfort) has not resumed throwing so his return to action is still unknown. Luke Gregerson (knee) underwent meniscus surgery on June 11 and is expected to out until early July. Tyler Lyons (elbow) has been throwing and is expected to throw a bullpen session before beginning a rehab assignment. Carl Edwards (shoulder) has resumed throwing and the Cubs hope to have him back before the All-Star break. Brandon Morrow (lower back tightness) was placed on the 10-day DL. The Cubs are expected to go with a matchups based bullpen until Morrow returns. This means that Justin Wilson, Pedro Strop, and Steve Cishek could all see save opportunities. Hunter Strickland (right hand fracture) was placed on the 10-day DL and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Manager Bruce Bochy said that Sam Dyson and Tony Watson will see save opportunities. The darkhorse in this scenario is Mark Melancon who got the save on Thursday night. Time will resolve this situation but for the time being all three can be added in you need to speculate for saves. Brandon Kintzler (forearm strain) has been throwing bullpens and is close to being activated. Pat Neshek (elbow) is getting closer to a return for the Phillies. He threw a bullpen on June 20. Diamondbacks closer Brad Boxberger has been struggling. Over his last 6 IP he has 5 BB and 3 HR which has resulted in two blown saves. There is not talk of a change at closer but Yoshihisa Hirano and Archie Bradley would be the leading candidates if Boxberger loses his job. Bradley has the skill set to be a closer but the Diamondbacks like him in the fireman role and could have given him the job coming into the year. That leaves Hirano as the likeliest candidate to take over as closer. Bud Norris continues to walk the tightrope with 3 HR given up over his last 8 appearances. He is 13 of 15 in saves chances and appears to have a long leash on the flip side. Kenley Jansen has saved 17 straight games and he has a 0.96 ERA over his last 28 IP.