In The Field
OF Luke Raley is dealing with a sore right hand and is considered day-to-day. Raley has been one of the bigger surprises this year. He is hitting .276 with 12 HR, 36 R, 27 RBI, and 8 SB while playing primarily only against RHP. OF Aaron Judge has shown good progress after his second platelet-rich plasma injection last week. He is getting close to resuming baseball activities which is good news for the Yankees and fantasy owners. OF Willie Calhoun was placed on the 10-day IL with a left quad strain. SS J.P. Crawford missed Thursday and Friday's games with a shoulder injury. He is considered day-to-day but did return to the lineup on Saturday. OF Alex Verdugo was placed on the bereavement list on Thursday and is expected to be out until Tuesday when the Red Sox play the Marlins. C Yasmani Grandal was not in Wednesday's lineup due to knee soreness. This injury is not considered serious but he has had a history of knee issues so this is worth watching. Grandal has been solid behind the plate offensively this year (.262 AVG with 5 HR, 15 R, 18 RBI, and 0 SB). C Logan O'Hoppe (shoulder) was able to play catch this week. He is hopeful of a return before the end of the year but fantasy owners should not hold out any hope. 3B Gio Urshela is going to miss the remainder of the season after fracturing his left pelvis. 3B Yoan Moncada (back) has been able to throw and take grounders but hasn't been able to hit. His back has been bothering him all season so he is without a timetable for a return. This has opened up everyday playing time for 3B Jake Burger and he has run with it (.230 AVG with 16 HR, 27 R, 36 RBI, and 1 SB). 1B Vinnie Pasquantino had surgery on his right shoulder to repair his torn labrum on Wednesday. He is out for the remainder of the season and is a big question mark for 2024 because serious shoulder injuries for hitters do not have a good track record. SS Tim Anderson is dealing with a shoulder injury and was not in the White Sox lineup on Wednesday or Friday. Anderson has been bad from a fantasy perspective this year (.249 AVG with 21 R, 10 RBI, and 8 SB). SS Bo Bichette was scratched from the Blue Jays lineup on Wednesday due to left thumb discomfort. The Mets traded 3B Eduardo Escobar to the Angels for Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux. Since 3B Brett Baty took over as the primary third baseman Escobar had been relegated to a bench role. He should see more playing time in LA but that is no guarantee even with 3B Anthony Rendon out. C Salvador Perez left Friday night's game early with hamstring cramps but returned to the lineup on Saturday. He is considered day-to-day. SS Pablo Reyes was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday. SS David Hamilton should see the majority of the starts at shortstop while Reyes is out. Hamilton is an elite base stealer. He stole 70 bases in 2022 in Double-A and had 27 SB in 52 GP this year at Triple-A. He won't be a zero in the power department (11 HR in 52 GP at Triple-A) but will struggle to hit for average. OF Ramon Laureano has been placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured wrist. He suffered the injury while sliding into third base on Friday night. The Athletics called up OF Conner Capel in a corresponding move. Not much is going to change for the A's in terms of playing time because they have been rotating outfield spots throughout the year. OF Cedric Mullins was activated off the 10-day IL on Saturday.
On The Mound
Shane McClanahan was removed from Thursday's game by manager Kevin Cash. McClanahan was not happy about being removed but he was showing decreased velocity and the move was viewed as precautionary. After the game, it was revealed that he is dealing with mid-back tightness. His status is up in the air. Hopefully, he doesn't miss any time or if he does it is minimal because he has been absolutely dominant this year (2.23 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 17% K:BB). Corey Kluber was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday with right shoulder inflammation. Even with the Red Sox rotation injuries, Kluber was still not an option (7.04 ERA and 1.64 WHIP) and now that he is injured it is going to be hard for him to get another crack at starting. Kenta Maeda (triceps) started for the Twins on Friday (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, and 8 K). He struggled mightily prior to the injury (4.66 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 19% K, and a 4.55 SIERA). Carlos Rodon (back/forearm) is going to make his next rehab start on Sunday for Double-A Somerset. He threw 42 pitches in his first start so he will look to build on that pitch and if all goes well he could return in early July. Jose Urquidy (shoulder) had a 17-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday that reportedly went well. He is still expected to be out until the All-Star break but we will have a better understanding when he starts to face live hitters. Tarik Skubal (elbow) was able to go 2.2 IP (52 pitches) in his most recent rehab start for Triple-A Toledo. He was averaging 95.9 mph on his fastball which is higher than anything he has shown at the major league level. He is likely going to need at least one more rehab start before making his season debut. Matt Manning (foot) has been able to build up to 73 pitches in his most recent rehab start (4 IP and 0 ER). Cal Quantrill (shoulder) had his recent rehab start pushed back until Sunday. If everything goes well he is expected to rejoin the Guardians rotation next week. It will be interesting to see if the Guardians send Gavin Williams down when he returns because Quantrill was struggling prior to the injury (5.61 ERA and 1.42 WHIP). Nestor Cortes (shoulder) is expected to start throwing off a mound in about a week according to manager Aaron Boone. Once he starts facing live hitters we will have a better understanding of his recovery timeline. James Paxton left Saturday's game with right knee soreness.
In The Bullpen
Garrett Crochet is going to be out 2-3 weeks after receiving a cortisone shot in his left shoulder. The Yankees bullpen continues to be a closer-by-committee because Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle picked up saves. Kenley Jansen (16), Jordan Romano (22), and Felix Bautista (20) both picked up two saves this week and continue o be elite options. The Tigers had two different relievers pick up saves this week Alex Lange (11) and Jason Foley (3). Foley is a name to keep an eye on if Lange has a period of struggles. Trevor May picked up another save but continues to post scary underlying skills (5.89 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, and -3.3% K:BB). Lucas Erceg (2.85 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 14% K:BB) seems to be the next guy up. Andres Munoz was removed from the Mariners game during the 7th inning with an apparent injury. Jose Leclerc has been placed on the 15-day IL with a right ankle sprain.
Players to add this week:
C Bo Naylor (CLE)- Bo Naylor figures to be the Guardians everyday catcher now that they have released Mike Zunino. Naylor hit .253 with 13 HR, 45 R, 48 RBI, and 2 SB in 60 GP at Triple-A this year. He showed good plate skills (19% K and 18% BB) in addition to hitting the ball hard (45% Hardhit). He should be one of the better offensive catchers and needs to be picked up in two-catcher formats.
2B/OF Samad Taylor (KCR)- Samad Taylor has started 5 of 7 games since being called up. He is someone that has elite speed potential. In 62 GP at Triple-A this year he stole 34 bases while hitting .304. He showed the ability to make contact and be a non-zero in the power department in the minors but it is going to be his speed that attracts fantasy managers.
SP Gavin Williams (CLE)- Gavin Williams was the Guardians most recent pitching prospect to be called up. He joins Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee in the big league rotation. Williams made nine starts at Triple-A and he posted a 2.93 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 22% K:BB. He has an elite fastball and good changeup as well as two breaking balls. His success is going to be dependent on his control which has waned at times this year. The upside is there for the young right-hander but there could be some ups and downs.
C Yainer Diaz (HOU)-Yainer Diaz has seen increased playing time since Yordan Alvarez hit the IL. Diaz is hitting .277 with 7 HR, 16 R, 15 RBI, and 0 SB in 37 GP. He has an aggressive approach (2% BB) but has shown the ability to make contact (18% K). Diaz has also hit the ball hard (15% Barrels and 48% Hardhit). He is someone to add in the short term as a second catcher but could see a reduction in playing time once Alvarez comes back.
SP Tarik Skubal (DET)-Tarik Skubal looked good again in his most recent rehab appearance (2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 4 K). He will need at least one more start before returning to the Tigers rotation. However, if he is available in any leagues now would be the time to make the move instead of waiting until he returns. He looked good last year (3.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 18% K:BB).
OF Leody Taveras (TEX)-Leody Taveras is owned in just 51% of Yahoo leagues and 21% of ESPN leagues which seems criminal. He is hitting .299 with 8 HR, 37 R, 32 RBI, and 7 SB. He has been a true five-category contributor. Taveras has been able to cut his strikeouts (19% K) while hitting the ball hard (7% Barrels and 43% Hardhit). There is a lot to like about Taveras and he should be picked up where available.
SP Brayan Bello (BOS)- Brayan Bello has a 3.27 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through 66 IP. He is succeeding with a below-average strikeout rate (22% K) because he has good control (7% BB) and gets a ton of groundballs (57% GB). His 3.95 SIERA is more realistic based on his skills than his current 3.27 ERA. Even with regression, he is still better than a league-average starter. Bello has been on a roll since the beginning of May (7 GS, 2.52 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 14% K:BB).
SS David Hamilton (BOS)- David Hamilton should see the majority of the starts at shortstop while Reyes is out. Hamilton is an elite base stealer. He stole 70 bases in 2022 in Double-A and had 27 SB in 52 GP this year at Triple-A. He won't be a zero in the power department (11 HR in 52 GP at Triple-A) but will struggle to hit for average. If you need speed you should be in on Hamilton.
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