In The Field
2B Ozzie Albies (knee) was not able to return to the lineup on Thursday but was back in there on Friday. 2B Nico Hoerner has been able to resume baseball activities. He has been shut down once already so the Cubs are likely to slow play his recovery. OF Avisail Garcia (back and hamstring tightness) left Thursday's game early and didn't play Friday or Saturday. He is considered day-to-day. OF Yonathan Daza (thumb) has started a rehab assignment and should be back shortly. The Rockies already have a crowded outfield (Blackmon, Tapia, Hilliard, and Hampson) which is not good news for Daza or the rest of the outfielders not named Blackmon. 3B Brian Anderson (shoulder) is day-to-day. SS Didi Gregorious was activated off the restricted list on Friday. This means that SS Freddy Galvis will return to a bench role. 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes (hand) hasn't played since Sunday. He was able to swing a bat on Saturday and the Pirates said they will make a decision when they see how his hand responds to swinging. The Mets are hopeful that C James McCann (back) is able to return this weekend. 2B Tommy LaStella (side) hasn't played since Sunday and there is no indication when he will return. 2B Wilmer Flores was placed on the 10-day IL on Thursday with a hamstring injury. 2B Michael Chavis (elbow) will be shut down from anything that involves gripping for 5-7 days which means no throwing or hitting. 3B Evan Longoria (hand) has started swinging a bat which is a good sign. He should return to the Giants lineup fairly soon. 3B Eduardo Escobar (hamstring) returned to the Brewers on Friday. This is going to end regular playing time for 3B Luis Urias who had been filling in while Escobar was out. 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes (hand) has not played since Sunday and hasn't been able to swing a bat. 1B Rhys Hoskins (abdomen) has been put on the 60-day IL and is out for the season after having surgery. The Phillies plan on filling 1B with a combination of 1B Brad Miller and C J.T. Realmuto. This is good news for those that have Realmuto because he should get more at-bats down the stretch. Miller's value depends on how many games per week he is going to play because he does offer some power upside. 2B Ozzie Albies (knee) returned to the Braves lineup on Friday. This is good news for the Braves and fantasy managers because Albies is having a monster season (.259 AVG, 23 HR, 83 R, 66 RIB, and 17 SB). C Willson Contreras (knee) started a rehab assignment on Tuesday. He should be returning to the big league very soon. OF Connor Joe suffered a hamstring strain on Friday and was placed on the 10-day IL. 3B Brian Anderson (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday and he is expected to miss the remainder of the season. 3B Joe Panik played third in his absence on Friday night but the Marlins may want to give an extended look at 2B Isan Diaz playing the hot corner. 2B Kolten Wong has been placed on the paternity list. 2B/3B Luis Urias will fill in while he is out. 1B/OF Dominic Smith has been placed on the bereavement list which means he is out until next week at the minimum. OF Jesse Winker is a week away from beginning a rehab assignment according to manager David Bell. He's now looking at a mid-September return. OF Alex Dickerson was placed on the 10-day IL with an injured right hamstring. OF Brandon Nimmo was also placed on the 10-day IL with a strained hamstring.
On the Mound
Jon Gray (forearm) is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Saturday. How he responds to this is going to determine the next steps in his recovery. He could return quickly if everything checks out fine. Kyle Freeland (hip) received an injection to reduce inflammation in his hip. He is expected to make his next start. Dakota Hudson (TJS) made a rehab start at Double-A and went 2.2 IP of scoreless ball. He is trying to make it back from Tommy John Surgery before the end of the regular season. Max Scherzer left Wednesday's start with a tight hamstring. He is expected to make his next start but this is a situation worth watching. J.T. Brubaker (thumb) was able to throw a bullpen on Wednesday. The expectation is that he returns shortly but that doesn't carry much fantasy value because he has been blowing up fantasy managers' ratios in the second half. Jake Arrieta (hamstring) was activated off the IL and started for the Padres on Friday. Arrieta is no longer fantasy-relevant. Johnny Cueto (elbow) was placed on the 10-day IL with a strained right elbow on Wednesday. This is not good news for those that have rostered Cueto. The Giants are taking an optimistic view on the situation and believe it will be a short stay on the IL but elbow injuries for pitchers are complicated. Kyle Freeland (hip) left his start early on Wednesday due to a left hip impingement. He received an injection to reduce inflammation in that hip and is expected to make his next start. Clayton Kershaw (forearm) threw a two-inning simulated start on Friday. How he responds to this type of environment is going to give us a better indication of his recovery timeline. Carlos Martinez (thumb) is unlikely to return this season and at this point, he is no longer fantasy relevant. Luke Weaver (shoulder) was activated off the 60-day IL on Wednesday. He went 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, and 3 K's against the Padres. Weaver is someone to take a chance on if you need another starter. Freddy Peralta (shoulder) was activated off the IL and started Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals (2 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB and 4 K). Tony Gonsolin has been able to throw simulated games and is tracking towards a return to the Dodgers in the next week or two. The Dodgers could use both Kershaw and Gonsolin back in their rotation. They currently only have four starters (Buehler, Urias, Price, and Scherzer). Alex Wood (COVID) was placed on the IL after testing positive for COVID. His return is unknown at this point. David Price is dealing with elbow soreness and that is why he did not make his scheduled start against the Giants on Friday. J.T. Brubaker left his start early on Saturday with right shoulder discomfort. Austin Gomber (back) was placed on the 10-day IL and the reports out of Colorado are that Gomber will be out for the season. Jacob deGrom (elbow) is 10 days away from throwing a bullpen which makes it unlikely that he throws any more meaningful innings this year.
In The Bullpen
Chris Martin was placed on the 10-day IL with right elbow inflammation. Adbert Alzolay is now in the Cubs bullpen and he picked up a four-inning save on Wednesday. Dinelson Lamet (forearm) returned from the injured list on Wednesday. He is going to work out of the Padres bullpen for the rest of 2021 which kills his fantasy value because it's not going to be multiple innings nor save chances. Alex Reyes is out as the Cardinals closer with Giovanny Gallegos the favorite to take over and he has recorded the Cardinals' last two saves. Carlos Estevez is now the closer in Colorado which is not an ideal situation but he is going to get save chances. Rowan Wick picked up two saves this week and is the guy to roster in Chicago.
Players to add this week:
SP Luke Weaver (ARI)- Luke Weaver returned this week from the IL and went 6 IP and gave up 1 ER on 4 H, 0 BB, and 3 K's against the Padres. He has made nine starts and has a 4.11 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 22% K and 7% BB. His 4.32 SIERA isn't great but it means that he is a usable streamer and back end of the rotation option. He will start Tuesday against the Rangers, which is a good matchup for him.
C Keibert Ruiz (WSH)- Keibert Ruiz is up for the Nationals. He hit .311 with 16 HR, 39 R, 45 RBI, and 0 SB at Triple-A. He did so with 12% K and 10% BB to go along with a .320 ISO. This is a rare skill set for a catcher and while success may not come right away it is going to be a very valuable fantasy profile.
RP Giovanny Gallegos (STL)-The Cardinals are no longer going to use Alex Reyes as the primary closer. Gallegos has traditional closer stuff (29% K, 6% BB, and 16% SwStr). He has also picked up the Cardinals' last two saves.
RP Carlos Estevez (COL)-Carlos Estevez picked up the Rockies' last save and has appeared to take the role for the time being. He has a 3.83 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. His core skills are not great (24% K and 8% BB) but he has a shot at saves which means he needs to be rostered.
C Jorge Alfaro (MIA)- Jorge Alfaro is getting the majority of starts for the Marlins and he has been red hot. He is hitting .324 AVG with 1 HR, 4 R, 10 RBI, and 1 SB over the past 14 GP. Alfaro has a rare ability to hit for both power and speed from the catcher's position.
OF Ian Happ (CHC)- Ian Happ has had a disappointing season overall but he has picked it up of late. He is hitting .364 with 4 HR, 7 R, 9 RBI, and 2 SB over the past 14 GP. He is also hitting third for the Cubs which is a nice place for counting stats even though the Cubs lineup isn't what it once was.
OF Odubel Herrera (PHI)- Odubel Herrera isn't playing every day but he is starting against right-handed pitching and the good news is that he leads off on those days. On the year, he is hitting .265 with 12 HR, 47 R, 42 RBI, 5 SB. He is not elite in any one category but he provides value across the board. He is also more valuable in daily moves formats where you could really take advantage of his platooning.
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