The Cardinals returned to play on Saturday, despite the fact they had another coach test positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. The Reds also had a player test positive for COVID-19 which canceled the rest of their series with the Pirates.
IN THE LINEUP
<strong>Dylan Carlson joined the Cardinals on Saturday and was immediately slotted into the lineup. This is huge news for a consensus top 25 prospect in all of baseball and he deserves to be rostered in all formats. It makes no sense for the Cardinals to recall him without a plan to play him every day, so expect him to be in the lineup for the Cards with a chance to contribute in all five categories... Alec Bohm was called up by the Phillies on Thursday and went 1-for-4 with a double in his MLB debut. Bohm, like Carlson, should play every day and is worth a pickup for his power potential at the plate. He is not quite as well rounded as Carlson is for fantasy purposes, but he should provide some pop with an average that will not hurt too badly... Corey Seager had been out of the lineup since last Friday (8/7) but returned on Thursday and hit a two-run home run off Chris Paddack in his first at-bat back. Seager was just the DH for the game but assuming his back feels good after the game Thursday we will see him back in the field this weekend... Jorge Mateo started for the Padres in left field on Thursday. This marks Mateo's MLB debut as being traded from the A's to Padres back in summer camp and then tested positive for COVID-19 upon his arrival to San Diego. Mateo could be interesting if he is able to get consistent playing time because of his 80-grade speed, but unless that happens, he is not worth rostering at this point. Ty France was optioned to the alternate training site as the corresponding move... Jeff McNeil left Thursday's game after colliding with the wall and he was diagnosed with a bone contusion on his left knee. He should sit out a few games, most likely the rest of the weekend, but it does sound like he avoided any sort of injury that would require an IL stint... Adam Haseley was placed on the IL with a wrist injury, but the expectation is that he'll be activated after just 10 days. Bohm was called up to take Haseley's spot on the roster so we will have to see who is optioned down to take him place upon return, assuming Bohm's roster spot is safe... Kris Bryant is dealing with injuries to his left ring finger and also a wrist injury, but neither is believed at this point to be serious. Bryant made his return to the lineup on Saturday and returned to his usual leadoff spot... Mike Moustakas has been out since August 5th with a bruised quad, but assuming all goes well in workouts this week he could be activated as soon as Sunday... Victor Robles sat out on Thursday after being hit by a pitch on Wednesday, but Dave Martinez said that the day off was more about giving Robles some rest more than anything. He should be back in the lineup this weekend... Amed Rosario has been missing time for the Mets while dealing with a stomach illness. Andres Jimenez continues to get the playing time at shortstop for the Mets while Rosario sits... Ozzie Albies is eligible to be activated off the IL early next week, but Brian Snitker said that he is not expecting him to be ready. Albies has been out with a bone bruise in his right wrist since late July but began swinging a bat on Friday. Johan Camargo should continue to get most of the work at second base while Albies is out... Will Smith has been dealing with a bit of neck soreness that caused him to be lifted from the game on Wednesday. Tests have come back negative on the catcher, but the team will still take it easy with him, especially with having a catcher as solid as Austin Barnes on the roster as well. The Dodgers ultimately placed Smith on the IL on Saturday. Keibert Ruiz was recalled from the alternate training site but figures to be in a reserve role... Ronald Acuña was placed on the IL on Saturday with his injured wrist. The team was hoping the weekend off would be able to give his wrist the time it needed, but they ultimately decided to sit him down. He could return to the team next weekend... Eric Hosmer is back with the Padres but still sat two games this week as he recovers from his stomach issues... Ryan Braun was activated from the 10-day IL after dealing with an infection on his finger. He should slot back into the DH role for the team now that he is back and ready to go... Josh Vanmeter was recalled by the Reds after Pedro Strop was placed on the IL. Vanmeter has a bit of pop but has struggled this year going 0-for-17 at the plate... Austin Slater could be able to work as the Giants DH in the next few days after hitting some soft toss on Friday. Slater is off to an outstanding start for the Giants with three homers and five stolen bases to go along with his .342 average... Starlin Castro was placed on the 10-day IL with a broken wrist. Luis Garcia was recalled from the alternate training site and got the start for the Nats at second, going 2-for-5 with a double. Carter Keiboom could potentially get some additional playing time with the weakened Nationals infield... Scott Kingery is dealing with a shoulder issue that he believes came as a result of his back issue, along with still getting his body up to 100% following his COVID battle last month... Lewin Diaz was called up by the Marlins after Corey Dickerson was placed on the bereavement list. Diaz has outstanding power potential and if he can stick with the team, but there's no word on whether he'll stick around after Dickerson returns to the team... Miguel Rojas has been approved for reinstatement and will report to the team's alternate training site... Tommy Pham left Saturday's game with cramping in both calves. Just a minor issue here and he is day-to-day at this point... Jed Lowrie is undergoing a series of injections to try and relieve pain in his left knee. Lowrie is dealing with PCL laxity and was placed on the 45-day IL last week. I would not expect him to play this season....
IN THE ROTATION
Dave Roberts told reporters that it is likely we see Tony Gonsolin take another turn in the rotation after striking out eight batters across 4.2 innings on Wednesday. He hasn't been penciled into a specific date yet, but whenever he is, he's a solid streaming option... Alex Wood has been throwing bullpen sessions recently and was scheduled to throw on Saturday. Slowly but surely, he's working his way back to the Dodgers rotation... David Peterson picked up his third win of the season on Thursday but left after five innings with shoulder soreness. He doesn't believe the injury is serious and that he will be able to make his next start, one that would come again the Marlins in a matchup that definitely warrants a stream... Eric Lauer was optioned to the alternate training site on Thursday.... Jose Quintana tossed three innings in a sim-game on Tuesday and everything reportedly went well. David Ross still hasn't said when Quintana will join the team, but we are for sure trending in the right direction. He's scheduled to throw four innings on Sunday in a sim game... Robert Gsellman started for the Mets on Wednesday and Luis Rojas said that this is the beginning of a permanent move for the righty. Last season he was fantasy at limiting hard contact with an 88th percentile hard-hit rate and allowed barrels on 3.7% of batted balls against him. He was tagged for three runs in two innings in the start, but there are some skills here worth monitoring.... Madison Bumgarner is working his way back from his back injury and played catch along with throwing a bullpen session on Thursday. Bumgarner has been awful this year with over a 9.00 ERA and his fastball velocity has dropped by nearly 5 MPH from last season. I would not hang on to Bumgarner at this point... Mitch Keller is expected to begin throwing again over this weekend. He is dealing with an oblique issue that will take some time to get right even once he begins throwing again... Joe Musgrove was placed on the 10-day IL with right triceps inflammation. He was originally scratched from his start with an ankle injury but was ultimately placed on the IL with the arm issue. This is obviously more concerning than the ankle issue, so we will need to monitor this as we move forward.... Bryse Wilson was recalled from the alternate site after Sean Newcomb was sent down. Wilson has some prospect pedigree but has not been able to do much in the majors yet. He is an NL-Only guy right now if he sticks in the Braves rotation.... Marcus Stroman was placed on the restricted list after opting out of the 2020 season due to his concerns over COVID-19. Stroman was on the IL with a calf strain, and you can call it a coincidence or not that his decision to opt-out came after he accrued enough service time for him to still become a free agent after this year. The Mets rotation is a lot of question marks after Jacob deGrom.... Cole Hamels has still yet to throw off a mound, and it sounds like there's serious doubt as to whether he will play for the Braves this year... David Ross said that he's hopeful that Tyler Chatwood will be able to start on Monday after being scratched Friday with mid-back tightness.... Spencer Howard left Friday's start with a blister on his throwing hand. Joe Girardi said that they may give Howard an extra day off before his next start, which would put him in line to face the Braves for the second time this year.... Stephen Strasburg is still dealing with the nerve issue that has bothered him all season, and it forced him to leave his Friday start against the Orioles in just the first inning. He was placed on the IL on Saturday with carpal tunnel neuritis. There is no timetable for his return to the Nats... Jacob deGrom was scratched Friday with neck tightness but is hoping that he'll miss just one start. He played catch on Saturday with no issues and is slated to throw a bullpen session on Sunday. He should be all set to face the Marlins next week... Cal Quantrill is getting the start for the Padres on Saturday, curbing the Mackenzie Gore possibilities for at least a little while longer... Sandy Alcantara is going to take a physical on Friday in order to gain clearance to return to the Marlins. He was one of the numerous players on the Marlins diagnosed with COVID-19, and this is the major hurdle for him getting to head to the alternate site to get ramped up for the season... Robbie Erlin will start for the Braves on Sunday. I would imagine that the Braves bring up a prospect to fill this spot next go-around, but the logistics of getting players to join the team on the road is tougher than it would be at home.
IN THE BULLPEN
Corbin Burnes has pitched well out of the bullpen for the Brewers, striking out 13 batters over his last nine innings out of the pen. Burnes broke camp with the Brewers as a member of the rotation and the team still feels that his long-term role is ultimately in the rotation. There is a chance we see him back there soon and if so, he deserves a look in formats as his strikeout upside is elite.... Sean Doolittle is dealing with inflammation in his right knee and was placed on the IL on Thursday. Doolittle has been struggling all season for the Nationals so even when he does return to action, expect Daniel Hudson to continue being the stopper for the team... Keona Kela was activated from the COVID-19 list by the Pirates. Kela should immediately slot in as the closer for the team, but considering their record this year, save chances might be hard to come by... Will Harris has been activated off the IL and should slot into the back end of the Nationals bullpen. I'd still expect Hudson to get the bulk of the save chances, but Harris can definitely fill in here and there if needed... Kyle Crick threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and that was the first throwing he's done since he placed on the IL July 28th. There is no timetable yet for his return to action for the Pirates, but with Keona Kela back in the mix Crick is not fantasy-relevant anymore.... Drew Pomeranz has picked up his third save opportunities on Monday, and it brings to question whether Kirby Yates is still locked in as the closer in San Diego. Yates left Friday's appearance after just six pitches and was placed on the IL on Saturday. Pomeranz should be the primary add for the Padres bullpen.... Alex Reyes struck out three batters in a perfect relief inning on Saturday, his first appearance of the season. Reyes is still only 25 years old and has the skillset to be an elite pitcher in the league, it is worth monitoring if he ends up in save situations or possibly makes the jump to the rotation.
PLAYERS TO ADD
Garrett Hampson, Colorado Rockies - Garrett Hampson was a preseason buzz guy in the spring of 2019, but it never came to fruition until the fantasy playoffs last season where he hit .318 with five homers and nine stolen bases. Hampson is off to a strong start this season with a .906 OPS across 53 plate appearances. He also has one homer and swiped two bags. Most importantly though, Hampson appears to have broken through the Rockies bias against young players as he has been the primary leadoff man for the team for the last week. Getting a guy with 99th percentile sprint speed atop a lineup like the Rockies is someone I am targeting. Depending on the format, he typically has second base and outfield eligibility as well giving him some positional versatility.
Drew Pomeranz, San Diego Padres - Drew Pomeranz is a must-add this week now that Kirby Yates is on the IL, and he was already a strong add even if Yates was not placed on the IL. Pomeranz already has four saves on the season and now will be the uncontested closer for the team. Pomeranz is sitting in the 91st percentile for K% and his xwOBA, xERA, and xBA are all in the 98th percentile or higher. His whiff rate is slightly low consider the number of strikeouts he is posting, but some of that could be him being a reliever and not having nearly as many chances for whiffs.
Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds - Jesse Winker has exploded to start 2020 posting a .365/.484/.712 triple slash over his first 64 plate appearance and have five homeruns. His batted ball profile looks outstanding with a 99th percentile xwOBA and 96th percentile xBA and this is fueled by a 15%-barrel rate with a 50% hard-hit rate. Winker has been hitting leadoff for the Reds recently due to his above-average plate discipline, and he is playing well enough to rise above the Reds logjam in the outfield.
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