In The Field
OF Jarred Kelenic (foot) was 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored in Thursday's rehab game. The Mariners are going to want to make sure that he is completely healthy before activating him. Kelenic was hitting .252 with 11 HR, 43 R, 45 RBI, and 12 SB in 90 GP. He was hitting the ball hard (11% Barrels and 50% Hardhit) but there was still a good chance that his 33% strikeout rate was going to catch up to him over the course of a full season. OF Julio Rodriguez (foot) missed Tuesday and Wednesday with a foot injury but is expected to be back for the weekend series. Rodriguez has turned it on in the second half (.365 AVG with 11 HR, 30 R, 38 RBI, and 13 SB) to boost his overall line to a .286 AVG with 24 HR, 82 R, 87 RBI, and 35 SB. SS Javier Baez was out of the Tigers lineup Wednesday-Friday due to being "banged up" according to manager A.J. Hinch. He returned to the lineup on Saturday. OF Byron Buxton (hamstring) played centerfield in his rehab appearance on Thursday and Friday but left Friday's game early with patella tendon soreness. He was going to be activated soon and appeared to be preparing to play the outfield. This would have hurt the playing time of OF Michael A. Taylor. He is likely to enter into a platoon with one of their outfielders OF Max Kepler, OF Joey Gallo, and OF Matt Wallner if Buxton comes back soon. All three have platoon splits and are power-first bats so it could be any of them but Gallo appears to be the most likely to lose playing time if Buxton comes back soon. C Salvador Perez was scratched from the Royals lineup on Wednesday with back/neck tightness. He returned to the lineup on Friday playing 1B. OF Jarren Duran (toe) had surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn flexor in his big left toe. He is out for the rest of the season but should be fully healthy heading into 2024. He ends the year hitting .295 with 8 HR, 46 R, 40 RBI, and 24 SB in 102 GP. He showed improvement across the board but especially in his strikeout rate (25% K) and hard contact (46% Hardhit). OF Aaron Hicks (back) could return without a rehab assignment but is going to return as a fourth outfielder. The Orioles are going to roll with Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander as their regular outfielders. OF Mickey Moniak sat out Wednesday's game with back soreness but was back in there Friday night. 1B Ty France left Tuesday's game early with a left wrist contusion. He was back in the lineup on Wednesday. OF Alex Kirilloff (shoulder) started a rehab assignment on Wednesday. SS Bo Bichette was placed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday with a right quad strain. SS Ernie Clement has started at shortstop in his absence. Clement hit .339 with 11 HR, 55 R, 55 RBI, and 12 SB in 69 Triple-A games. He is a contact-oriented player (8% BB and 5% K in AAA). 1B Josh Naylor has started a rehab appearance and is expected back next week. The Angels put OF Randal Grichuk and OF Hunter Renfroe on waivers this week. Renfroe was claimed by the Reds. The hope was that it would open up playing time for OF Trey Cabbage who put up big numbers in the minors this year. He hit .307 with 27 HR, 76 R, 81 RBI, and 31 SB. It is a high variance profile (31% K) but he could get hot providing both power and speed over the last month. However, the Angels have decided that they are going to play OF Randal Grichuk, OF Mickey Moniak, and 2B/OF Luis Rengifo in the outfield instead. 2B Pablo Reyes was placed on the 10-day IL on Monday with left elbow inflammation. 3B Matt Chapman was placed on the 10-day IL on Monday with a right middle finger sprain. 3B Santiago Espinal has been filling in for him. SS Zach Neto (back) is expected to start a rehab assignment early next week. The Angels are out of contention so they can play this carefully but he should be back soon. Prior to the injury he was hitting .241 with 8 HR, 31 R, 30 RBI, and 5 SB in 67 GP. 3B Josh Jung (thumb) is 2-3 weeks away from returning according to manager Bruce Bochy. Jung has been out since early August. He had been very productive prior to getting injured (.274 AVG with 22 HR, 70 R, 67 RBI, and 1 SB) so it will be huge for the Rangers to get him back before the playoffs. C Danny Jansen suffered a fractured right middle finger during Friday's win against the Rockies. This is going to force him to go on the injured list and could possibly put him out for the year. This increases the playing time of C Alejandro Kirk who had been splitting time with Jansen. 2B Willi Castro (oblique) is expected to be activated on Sunday. 2B Jose Altuve left Friday's game early with a left leg contusion. He fouled a ball off his leg so he is considered day-to-day. 2B Gleyber Torres (back) was scratched from the Yankees lineup on Friday with a back injury. He is considered day-to-day. OF Jasson Dominguez was called up by the Yankees on Friday and promptly homered in his first at-bat against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. Dominguez hit .254 with 15 HR, 83 R, 66 RBI, and 37 in 109 GP at Double-A and then hit .419 with 0 HR, 6 R, 10 RBI, and 3 SB in 9 Triple-A games. He is likely to strike out quite a bit at the major league level but he will provide at least average power and speed. OF Riley Greene has been placed on the 10-day IL with right elbow inflammation.
On The Mound
John Means (elbow) threw five scoreless innings with two walks and six strikeouts in his latest rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk. He hasn't pitched in a major league game since early 2022 so with the Orioles in contention there has been hesitation about just throwing him back in the rotation. Means posted a 3.62 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 18% K:BB in his last full season starting so he will be worth picking up as a streamer if the Orioles decide to put him in the rotation. If he gets put in the bullpen there isn't much value due to his below-average strikeout rate. Luis Medina (blister) struck out seven with one walk over 3.1 IP in a rehab appearance at Triple-A Las Vegas. He had missed two weeks due to a blister on his right index finger. He figures to rejoin the Athletics rotation next week. Medina has shown flashes but his overall line is one you want to avoid (5.44 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and 11% K:BB). Mason Miller is going to make one more rehab appearance before rejoining the big league club. It will be exciting to see him return but his fantasy value is going to be limited. The Athletics are going to have restrictions on him in terms of pitches and/or innings which is going to limit his ability to produce fantasy value. George Kirby is going to start this weekend for the Mariners after missing time this week with an illness. Gavin Williams was pulled from his start on Tuesday due to knee soreness. He is expected to start Wednesday against the Twins. Chris Paddack (TJS) is scheduled to start a rehab assignment on September 6. The hope is that he could possibly join the Twins bullpen at the end of the year as a multi-inning reliever. Chase Silseth was placed on the 7-day concussion IL on Tuesday. He was hit by an infield throw in the back of the head. Brady Singer had his start skipped due to arm fatigue and a drop in velocity. Neither of those findings is positive for Singer. He has struggled mightily this year (5.15 ERA and 1.40 WHIP). Nathan Eovaldi (forearm) felt tightness in his side after his last bullpen which is not a good sign. The plan was for him to back off a little and go from there but he threw another bullpen on Friday. Cal Quantrill (shoulder) returned from the IL on Friday and started against the Rays (6 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, and 2 K). The Guardians also claimed Lucas Giolito off waivers from the Angels. This will likely push Xzavion Curry out of the starting rotation. Spencer Turnbull is dealing with a toenail injury that prevented him from making his rehab start this week.
In The Bullpen
Kendall Graveman left Wednesday's game with back discomfort and is considered day-to-day. Yennier Cano did not pick up a save in his first week as the Orioles new closer. The Rays continue to be frustrating in their bullpen usage. Pete Fairbanks and Jason Adam picked up saves this past week. Emmanuel Clase picked up three saves this week and is now up to 37 on the year. Alex Lange was used as the Tigers closer this week with one save and one blown save but he did get both opportunities. Andres Munoz has had some issues with the pitch clock in terms of velocity but has still been great (2.72 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 21% K:BB, and 11 SV). The Rangers closer role is a mess right now. Will Smith has tanked down the stretch but Aroldis Chapman hasn't been able to take a hold of the role. Chapman and Jose Leclerc picked up saves this week.
Players to add this week:
OF Jasson Dominguez (NYY)- Jasson Dominguez was called up by the Yankees on Friday and promptly homered in his first at-bat against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. Dominguez hit .254 with 15 HR, 83 R, 66 RBI, and 37 in 109 GP at Double-A and then hit .419 with 0 HR, 6 R, 10 RBI, and 3 SB in 9 Triple-A games. He is likely to strike out quite a bit at the major league level but he will provide at least average power and speed.
3B Davis Schneider (TOR)- The Blue Jays have been decimated by injuries. Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman, and Danny Jansen were placed on the IL this week. This means increased playing time for Davis Schneider. He has been batting second or fifth which is great for his fantasy value. Schneider is also hitting .412 with 6 HR, 14 R, 15 RBI, and 1 SB in 15 GP. He has good plate skills (16% BB and 24 % K) and has hit the ball hard (17% Barrels). It is a small sample but this time of year that doesn't matter as much. He is playing regularly and is hot.
SP Cole Ragans (KCR)- If Cole Ragans is still available he needs to be picked up as soon as possible. He has looked great for the Royals. He has a 1.72 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 27% K:BB in 41.2 IP as a starter for the Royals. He has demonstrated elite stuff with good enough control. There is no reason why he should be on waivers at this point.
SS Royce Lewis (MIN)- Royce Lewis has been excellent when on the field this year. He is hitting .305 with 9 HR, 21 R, 29 RBI, and 3 SB. He has shown an aggressive approach (6% BB and 25% K) but has hit the ball hard (10% Barrels). Lewis has also shown that he can still steal bases (3 for 4 on stolen base attempts) which is important after coming off multiple lower body injuries.
2B/OF Luis Rengifo (LAA)- Luis Rengifo is now playing the outfield which only adds to his position eligibility. He is also hitting in the middle of the lineup (2-5). Rengifo is hitting .257 with 14 HR, 52 R, 46 RBI, and 5 SB. He isn't elite in any one category but in deeper mixed leagues he is a glue guy. He isn't going to hurt you and he is eligible at multiple spots. It also doesn't hurt that he is playing every day in a decent top half of the Angels lineup.
RP Yennier Cano (BAL)- Yennier Cano has taken over as the Orioles closer with Felix Bautista out for the year. Cano has been dominant this year in his own right (1.56 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 20% K:BB). The Orioles are a great team so Cano instantly has moved up to being one of the top closers in the game.
Registered members can click on the following link to see the complete weekly report: http://www.fantistics.com/baseball00/M-Strategyplus.
