In the Field
2B Nick Franklin (quad strain) is still rehabbing and there is not a clear date for his return. 1B/OF Eric Thames (thumb) is rehabbing and is still expected back sometime in late June. 1B Jesus Aguilar has filled in for Thames and performed extremely well. He is hitting .305 with 7 HR, 21 R, 23 RBI on the year. Brewers manager Craig Counsell is going to have a tough time finding both players regular at-bats when Thames, Aguilar, and Ryan Braun are all healthy. SS Paul DeJong had surgery on his fractured hand and is expected to be out 4-8 weeks. C Carson Kelly was activated this weekend and will take over the Cardinals catching duties until Yadier Molina returns. C Yadier Molina as of this report had begun baseball activities. OF Steven Souza (pectoral) was placed on the 10-day DL with a right pectoral soreness. This leaves the Diamondbacks extremely thin in the outfield with OF A.J. Pollock already on the shelf with a thumb injury. This has meant increased playing time for OF Jarrod Dyson who is valuable in fantasy leagues due to his speed but it best served as a fourth outfielder and OF Chris Owings has been playing primarily in the OF now. Owings has the power/speed profile but he is hitting .180 with 2 HR/4 SB through 45 games. 2B Alen Hanson is continuing to rehab his injured hamstring and will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A when he is healthy. Hanson has the ability to help a fantasy team with his ability to steal bases but if he doesn't come back soon he is going to be on the bench with 2B Joe Panik will being a rehab assignment at Triple-A and a return to the big league club. OF Hunter Pence is healthy but continues to work on his swing at the Triple-A level and it is unsure if/when the Giants will make a move to bring him up. OF Mac Williamson (concussion) was activated on Friday and manager Bruce Bochy said that he would be the regular left fielder going forward. Williamson has changed his swing and showed increased power. He is worth a pickup in mixed leagues. OF Garrett Cooper (wrist) has started baseball activities and is still looking at a late June return. 3B Martin Prado left Friday nights game with a hamstring injury. He was placed on the 10-day DL on Saturday. OF Yoenis Cespedes began running on Friday and could be close to a return. OF Brandon Nimmo has filled in for Cespedes and he has been excellent. He is hitting .278 with 3 HR/3 SB and a .430 OBP. Both Cespedes and 3B Todd Frazier ran and took BP and our traveling with the team. C Kevin Plawecki is close to a return and will replace Tomas Nido when he is ready. OF Adam Eaton is progressing well in his rehab and expects to be back the middle of June. The Nationals may play it safe with Eaton to make sure that he is 100% healthy before activating him. He is eligible to come off the 60-day DL on June 8. When Eaton comes back it most likely means that OF Michael A. Taylor will see his playing slashed significantly. This is provided that OF Juan Soto continues to impress because Taylor is hitting .193 with 33% K. OF Brian Goodwin and 2B Daniel Murphy are slated to play in rehab games this weekend at Double-A. Goodwin will provide Of depth upon his return but Murphy's bat has been sorely missed in the middle of the Nationals lineup. 1B Ryan Zimmerman (back) will require a rehab stint prior to being activated. 1B Mark Reynolds and 1B Matt Adams will continue to fill in for him in the meantime. C Austin Hedges has his rehab shut down due to continued discomfort in his right elbow. OF Wil Myers (oblique) still has not started baseball activities. OF Hunter Renfroe is healthy but still rehabbing in Triple-A. The Padres have a logjam at the major league level with Franmil Reyes, Manual Margot, Travis Jankowski, and Franchy Cordero. SS J.P. Crawford continues to recover from his right elbow strain. He has been able to take grounders but has not hit which signals that he is still a couple of weeks away from returning. OF Starling Marte was activated from the disabled list. OF Austin Meadows was expected to be sent down but Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said that the Pirates will go with a four-man OF rotation. This is very surprising given how well Marte (.313/.369/.525) and OF Corey Dickerson (.317/.355/.503) have performed. This has to mean that the biggest loser is going to be OF Gregory Polanco who has struggled for the second straight year. 2B D.J. LeMahieu is progressing well in his rehab and is currently fielding baseballs and gripping a bat. 1B Ryan McMahon was called up and played second base in his first game back. McMahon could see the majority of the playing time at second until LeMahieu comes back. OF Dexter Fowler left Saturday's game after being hit in the knee with a pitch from Trevor Williams.
On The Mound
Anibal Sanchez (hamstring) made his second rehab start going three innings giving up one hit and striking out four. He is getting close to a return but his role with the team is unknown. Mike Soroka (shoulder) is expected to make a rehab start next week and could be back if everything goes well. Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) hit a plateau in his recovery from shoulder surgery and went to see the doctor that performed his surgery. The team and Nelson insist that this is not a setback and that recovering from shoulder surgery is not a linear process. He is still supposed to be by the All-Star break. Carlos Martinez has begun throwing and is expected to be back within the next two weeks. Alex Reyes is expected to start for the Cardinals on Tuesday. He is going to be a full-time member of the Cardinals rotation and needs to be picked up anywhere he is available. Adam Wainwright (elbow) does not have any structural damage and the pain is believed to be due to a cartilage issue. He is currently on the 60-day DL so we will learn more as we get closer to the end of that time. Shelby Miller (elbow) has been pitching in extended Spring Training and is expected to make it back to a major league mound by the end of June. Robbie Ray (oblique) has extended his long toss to 100 ft. but his return to the mound is still unsure. Rich Hill (blisters) continues to struggle with blisters on his pitching hand. He is throwing and is expected back towards the end of June if the blisters completely heal. Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Saturday and then the club will make a decision whether he needs to go on a rehab assignment or be activated next week. Julio Urias (shoulder) is throwing but no timetable for a return has been given. It is a strong possibility that we do not see him at the major league level in 2018. Madison Bumgarner made his first rehab start on Saturday and is expected to make two more prior to being activated by the big league club. The Giants rotation and fantasy owners desperately want him back. Johnny Cueto has moved his rehab to the club's Spring Training complex. His return is still unknown and dependent on how his elbow responds to throwing. Jeremy Hellickson was removed from his latest start with a blister on his throwing hand. He has been dealing with this issue all season and the Nationals training staff believes he'll be ready to go after five days of treatment. Hellickson has pitched well this year with a 2.13 ERA, 18% K-BB, and 49% GB. Joey Lucchesi (hip) has not been able to throw beyond 75 ft. which is slowing down his rehab process. Jerad Eickhoff is still experiencing numbness in his pitching hand and is slated to see a Thoracic Outlet Syndrome expert. This is a devastating injury for pitchers. Ivan Nova has a right finger injury and a DL stint is a possibility. Nick Kingham was pulled early from his Triple-A start in case Nova is not able to take his next turn. Anthony DeSclafani had another rehab start on Friday and is expected to start one more time prior to being activated by the Reds. Yu Darvish was placed on the 10-day DL with a right tricep injury.
In The Bullpen
Luke Gregerson (shoulder) still has not resumed throwing. Dominic Leone (right arm nerve irritation) is without a timetable for his return at this point. Tyler Lyons (back) was activated on Saturday. Randall Delgado has resumed throwing and is expected to join the Diamondbacks bullpen sometime next month. Mark Melancon has begun a rehab assignment and needs to demonstrate that he can throw on back-to-back days before being called up. Once he makes it to the majors he is going to have to work his way back into the closers role according to his manager Bruce Bochy. Hunter Strickland will remain the Giants closer until he is injured or proves that he can't do the job. Strickland has pitched well this year with a 2.49 ERA, 26% K, and 0.83 HR/9. Anthony Swarzak (oblique) isn't eligible to return until May 31st but he is progressing well in his rehab. Ryan Madson (chest muscle) is in the middle of a throwing program and could be back in early June. Raisel Iglesias was placed on the 10-day DL with a left bicep strain and is only expected to miss the 10-day minimum. Reds manager Jim Riggleman has said that he will go with a committee in the interim. Jared Hughes did pick up a save but does not have the profile to be a closer long term. The Phillies do not have a set closer with three guys vying for saves: Hector Neris, Seranthony Dominguez, and Edubray Ramos. Greg Holland was placed on the 10-day DL with a hip injury.
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