In The Field
OF Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee/back) is targeting a return in the Padres series (June 14-17). 1B/OF Eric Thames (thumb) has been playing games during his rehab stint and could be back as soon as June 11. He has been playing the outfield during his rehab assignment which is interesting because the Brewers currently have a log jam of offensive players. Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain aren't going to lose playing time but OF Ryan Braun could see his playing time dwindle with 1B Jesus Aguilar swinging the bat well and Thames crushing right-handed pitching. OF Domingo Santana is also going to lose playing time and is going to be relegated to a bench role with everyone healthy. SS Paul DeJong (hand) was cleared for everyday activities on June 1 and is expected to pick up baseball activities in the next couple of weeks depending on the strength of his left hand. SS Addison Russell did not play June 5-7 due to a sprained finger but did enter the game Friday afternoon as a defensive replacement. OF A.J. Pollock had CT scan that showed his thumb is improving but he has not started baseball activities so his return is not close. OF Steven Souza Jr. (pectoral) had an MRI that showed he is improving and has been able to take swings. 2B Chase Utley (thumb) is on the 10-day DL and isn't expected back until the middle of June. 1B Brandon Belt (appendicitis) is targeting a return on June 15. 3B Martin Prado (hamstring) was shut down on May 26 and isn't expected to do any activities for 30 days so an early July return looks likely. OF Yoenis Cespedes played in a rehabd game Saturday night but left early with quad tightness. This is not good and is likely going to delay his return to the big league club. This is going to have fantasy implications because OF Brandon Nimmo has been filling in for Cespedes and he has been the Mets best hitter. The Mets are going to have to find a way to play Cespedes, Conforto, Nimmo, and Bruce together. 1B Wilmer Flores (back) is still not close to returning to the Mets. OF Adam Eaton (ankle) has been playing in rehab games and returned to the Nationals lineup on Saturday. The Nationals currently have a log jam in the outfield with rookie sensation OF Juan Soto playing well and OF Michael A. Taylor is hitting .333 with 2 HR and 5 SB over his last 14 games. OF Bryce Harper has been the worst Nationals OF offensively but he is not going to sit. 2B Daniel Murphy (knee) has been playing in rehab games since late May but has reportedly looked gimpy and not completely healthy. 1B Ryan Zimmerman (back) is expected to begin a rehab assignment shortly. This means that 1B Mark Reynolds and 1B/OF Matt Adams are going to see their playing time dwindle but there is a chance that Adams and Zimmerman enter into a platoon situation which would favor Adams being from the left side. OF Franchy Cordero swung a bat on Friday and could begin a rehab assignment shortly. C Austin Hedges has been able to throw and hit so a rehab assignment is right around the corner provided there are no more setbacks. OF Wil Myers has been slow to recover from his oblique injury and is expected out until early July. OF Rhy Hoskins made his return to the Phillies lineup on Saturday and promptly hit a three-run home run. OF Nick Williams had sat out earlier in the week with a sore left wrist but he was in the lineup on Friday night. OF David Dahl was placed on the 10-day DL on June 1 with a fractured right foot and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. This increases the playing time for both OF Gerardo Parra and OF Carlos Gonzalez as both were losing time with Dahl being part of the OF rotation. OF Dylan Cozens was placed on the 10-day DL with a quad strain. C Francisco Cervelli left Saturday's game after taking a foul ball off his left shoulder/head.
On The Mound
Mike Soroka (shoulder) has pitched well in his two rehab starts and is scheduled to come off the DL on Wednesday. They are currently in need of a starter with Julio Teheran hitting the 10-day DL with a right thumb contusion. Zach Davies (shoulder) was expected to be activated this weekend but that was not the case and the Brewers have not said what the plan is going forward. Wade Miley (oblique) is throwing and has a rough time table of late June for his return if everything goes as planned. Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) is still tracking towards a mid-season return for the Brew Crew. Alex Reyes (lat) had surgery to repair his lat injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. The concern for Reyes is that he has 50 IP at the major league level over the past three seasons. The potential is still there but one has to think he will be on an innings limit next year limiting his fantasy upside. Adam Wainwright (elbow) is still without a timetable for his return but the Cardinals are doing just fine with Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez, Jack Flaherty, Luke Weaver, and Miles Mikolas. Yu Darvish (tricep) is throwing and is looking at a mid-June return to the Cubs rotation. Drew Smyly (TJS) threw live BP for the second time on June 8 and is hoping to begin a rehab assignment in July. Shelby Miller (TJS) has started a rehab assignment and could be back before the end of June if everything continues to go well. The Diamondbacks are in need of rotation help. Robbie Ray (oblique) has thrown three bullpen sessions and is getting close to a rehab assignment. Rich Hill (blister) has been throwing with and without tape on his finger. The Dodgers are discussing his role when he comes back and the bullpen has been mentioned which would be a huge hit to his fantasy value. Edgar Santana (lat) has been placed on the 10-day DL with a torn right lat muscle but the severity of the tear is not yet known. Clayton Kershaw (back) was placed on the 10-day DL on June 1 and is expected to miss month if not more. Kenta Maeda (hip) is throwing but was unable to come off the DL when first eligible like many thought. Julio Urias (shoulder) is progressing well and could be ready to pitch at the big league level by the end of July. There is still a lot of time and shoulder injuries are troublesome for pitchers so don't get your hopes up here. Johnny Cueto (elbow) has progressed to long tossing but is still a month or so away from returning to a big league mound. Jeff Samardzija (shoulder) needs to throw one more bullpen before heading out on a rehab assignment. Noah Syndergaard (finger) was scratched from his start Sunday against the Yankees due to swelling and discomfort in his finger. Jeremy Hellickson (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day DL and is expected to need more than just the minimum. Stephen Strasburg left his start on Friday June 8 with a shoulder injury and was placed on the 10-day DL on Saturday. Joey Lucchesi (shoulder) continues to feel discomfort in his hip so his return is TBD at this point. Jerad Eickhoff saw a thoracic outlet syndrome specialist and they were able to rule that out but he still hasn't found any answers to why he is feeling numbness in his throwing hand. Ivan Nova (finger) threw a simulated game and felt well afterwards. He scheduled to be activated on Sunday and start against the Cubs. Homer Bailey (knee) is preparing for a rehab assignment and is expected to join the Reds bullpen upon being activated. Walker Buehler left his start on Friday night with right side soreness and is considered day-to-day.
In The Bullpen
Luke Gregerson (shoulder) return is still unknown and the Cardinals have not provided an update. Greg Holland (hip) was sent on a Triple-A rehab assignment on June 7. Bud Norris is still the Cardinals closer but he has had a few hiccups recently but Holland has been so bad that he would have look awesome over an extended period of time to even get back into consideration for saves. Jordan Hicks did record a save on Saturday because Norris got the day off after blowing the save on Friday. Randall Delgado (oblique) was sent on a rehab assignment and will be back by the middle of June. Tony Cingrani (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day DL. Jeurys Familia (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day DL on June 8. The Mets didn't say specifically who would be their closer while Familia is out but Robert Gsellman is the favorite and he has been good this year. Phil Maton (lat strain) is going to move his rehab to Triple-A. Richard Rodriguez (shoulder inflammation) was placed on the 10-day DL. Adam Ottavino (oblique) has resumed throwing as he makes his way back. He has been one of the most dominant relievers in fantasy this year. Brandon Kintzler left Saturday's game with an injury.
Registered members can click on the following link to see the complete AL report: http://www.fantistics.com/baseball00/M-Strategyplus.htm
Click here for details: https://www.insiderbaseball.com/baseballsample.htm
