In The Field
OF Luis Robert Jr. is dealing with groin tightness and was not in the White Sox lineup on Friday or Saturday. He is considered day-to-day. SS Ha-Seong Kim (back) was not in the Rays lineup on Friday. It was the third straight game that he missed with the injury. The Rays made the decision to put him on the 10-day IL. Kim was hitting .226 with 1 HR/4 SB in 10 GP. 2B Marcelo Mayer was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday with a right wrist sprain. Mayer was hitting .228 with 4 HR, 20 R, 10 RBI, and 0 SB. The Red Sox plan to play OF Ceddanne Rafaela at 2B more often with Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, and Wilyer Abreu in the outfield and Masataka Yoshida DH'ing. OF Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) started his rehab assignment on Tuesday and played in the field on Wednesday. The expectation is that he will remain on rehab through the weekend and be activated early next week. Carpenter is hitting .257 with 16 HR, 40 R, 32 RBI, and 1 SB. SS Gabriel Arias (ankle) was activated on Friday. He started at shortstop and hit 6th. Arias is hitting .231 with 6 HR, 28 R, 31 RBI, and 3 SB in 77 GP. He strikes out too much (31% K) but does hit the ball hard (11% Barrels). 2B Andres Gimenez (ankle) has been cleared to start running. There is no timetable for his return, but the belief is that he will be back soon. Gimenez has struggled in Toronto (.218 AVG with 5 HR, 26 R, 23 RBI, and 10 SB). DH Joc Pederson (hand) is scheduled to start his rehab assignment this weekend with Double-A Frisco. He has been out since May 25 with a broken hand that did not require surgery. The Rangers expect to activate him on Sunday, and he will be their primary DH. OF Tyler O'Neill was out of the Orioles lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday due to "general soreness," but he did return on Thursday and Friday. O'Neill has had trouble staying healthy this year and producing when on the field (.188 AVG with 3 HR, 13 R, 11 RBI, and 2 SB). 1B Ryan Mountcastle (hamstring) started rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Norfolk. He is expected to stay there until he is eligible to return on July 30. OF Daulton Varsho (hamstring) had his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday. He is expected to remain there over the weekend and return to the Blue Jays next week. Varsho is hitting .207 with 8 HR/1 SB in 24 GP. OF Jorge Soler was out Wednesday and Friday due to back soreness. He was placed on the 10-day IL on Saturday. SS Bobby Witt Jr. was out of the Royals lineup on Wednesday due to a knee injury, but he downplayed it and was back in the lineup on Friday. There was some speculation that C Adley Rutschman would be activated for the weekend series, but the Orioles want him to catch Friday and Saturday at Triple-A before being activated. 2B Max Muncy was placed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday with a hand injury. The initial X-ray didn't show any damage, so it was thought to be a short recovery, but it has since been revealed that he has a hairline fracture. The Athletics are going to mix and match at second base while he is out. OF Denzel Clarke was also placed on the 10-day IL with a Grade 2 right adductor strain. 2B Brandon Lowe was placed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday due to a left ankle and foot tendonitis injury. 2B Christian Moore (thumb) has started baseball activities, and we will get a clearer picture for his return once he starts swinging a bat. Moore hit .189 with 3 HR, 8 R, 8 RBI, and 0 SB in 18 GP since being called up. OF Aaron Judge is dealing with an elbow issue, according to manager Aaron Boone. He was having trouble throwing from the outfield in Friday's game. Judge was not in the lineup on Saturday and was later placed on the 10-day IL. He has a forearm strain, but the UCL was intact, which was important. If he were to miss any significant time, it would be a huge hit to the Yankees and fantasy owners. This should open up regular playing time for OF Jasson Dominguez, who has seen his playing time reduced recently. OF Jac Caglianone was removed from Saturday's game early with left hamstring tightness.
On The Mound
Brandon Walter was placed on the 15-day IL on Friday with left elbow inflammation. This was surprising news because he went 7 IP on Wednesday, but apparently didn't recover as expected. Walter has been fantastic for the Astros and fantasy owners who scooped him up early (3.35 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 23% K:BB). The corresponding move was Nick Hernandez, a reliever from Triple-A Sugar Land. Luis Garcia (elbow) went 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, and 2 K in his latest rehab start for Single-A Fayetteville. His next start will be for Double-A Corpus Christi. He continues to build up his pitch count and workload. Cristian Javier (elbow) went 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, and 1 K in a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land. He is not a candidate to take Walter's spot in the rotation despite rehabbing in Triple-A, because he only threw 49 pitches in that outing. He will need to work up to the 75-80 range before being activated. Alex Cobb continues to try to get his hips healthy enough to pitch. He received an injection over the All-Star break to try to reduce inflammation in both his hips. At this point, it is better to be surprised that he is pitching on a major league mound as opposed to hoping he is back soon. Cade Povich (hip) was able to go 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, and 6 K in his latest rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk. He is expected to be back with the big league club next week. Kyle Bradish (elbow) went 37 pitches (2 IP) in his most recent rehab start. This was his first appearance since having Tommy John surgery. He is going to need multiple starts before being activated. The good news coming out of his first start is that his fastball touched 97 mph. He is expected back mid-to-late August. Alek Manoah (elbow) is scheduled for a simulated game on Saturday. He isn't expected back until the end of August or September. Shane Bieber is going to make his next start rehab start on Sunday and go 55 pitches. He is expected to make one more start after Sunday before being activated to make his season debut. David Festa was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday due to right shoulder inflammation. Festa has struggled at the major league level (5.40 ERA and 1.28 WHIP) despite strong skills (23% K, 8% BB, and 4.05 SIERA). Sawyer Gibson-Long was removed from his rehab assignment after experiencing neck stiffness and general fatigue. He is expected to be shut down for a week. Bailey Ober made a rehab start on Friday for Triple-A St. Paul (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 6 K). He is expected to be activated next week. Ober has struggled this year due to his hip issue. He has a 5.28 ERA and 1.41 WHIP to go along with a major drop in strikeouts (18% K from 27% last year). Shane McClanahan (bicep) did not make his rehab start on Thursday due to bicep soreness. It has been one thing after another for McClanahan this year. Zach Eflin returned to the Orioles rotation on Wednesday (5 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, and 5 K) against the Guardians. This year, Eflin has struggled (5.78 ERA and 1.37 WHIP). Lance McCullers Jr. was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday due to a blister issue. McCullers Jr. has stayed healthy but has not pitched well (6.90 ERA and 1.74 WHIP). Luis Gil is going to make one more rehab start, according to manager Aaron Boone. Gil has yet to make his season debut and is coming off his breakout 2024 season (3.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 15% K:BB).
In The Bullpen
Felix Bautista was placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder discomfort. Bautista started the year slowly but really turned it on in June and July (1.13 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 43% K, and 15% BB). He is 19 for 20 in save chances and was a candidate to be traded at the deadline, so this makes things interesting for the Orioles. In years past, Yennier Cano would have been the next guy up, but it appears they are willing to go with the committee approach, which could include Seranthony Dominguez and Cano, given the matchup. It was Gregory Soto who got the first save opportunity on Thursday, but he was traded to the Mets on Friday. Both have closing experience, so it is possible that this is an audition for the role if Bautista does get moved, which seems unlikely at this point given the timing of the injury. Ben Joyce is not sure if he will be ready for spring training next season after having shoulder surgery in May. Aroldis Chapman blew a save on Wednesday (1.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 HR, and 1 K). Overall, he has still been good (1.34 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 33% K:BB). Devin Williams is rolling again as he picked up two saves this week, and Luke Weaver blew his only save chance on Friday. Jeff Hoffman suffered a loss on Tuesday after picking up a save on Monday. Yarial Rodriguez picked up a rare save last Sunday and is currently one of the best handcuffs if something happens to Hoffman. Emmanuel Clase got two saves this week, pushing his season total to 23. He has been lights out since his rough start to the year. He has a 1.10 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 20% K:BB since May 1st. Josh Hader picked up two saves (27) to go along with elite ratios (2.31 ERA, 0.86 WIHP, and 30% K:BB). Andres Munoz had a strong week with 2 SV (23), which pushes him past his saves total from last year (22 SV).
Players to add this week:
SP Eric Lauer (TOR)- Eric Lauer has pitched well for the Blue Jays this year. He has a 2.61 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 20% K:BB through 69 IP. The core skills underneath look good (26% K and 6% BB). He has been able to maintain the increase in strikeouts as a starter (27% K) and shown better control (4% BB). He has made a slight change to his pitch mix from previous seasons. He is throwing fewer cutters in favor of more offspeed pitches (CV, SL, and CH). This has been a positive because both his curve and slider have graded out well this year by pitch value.
SP Dean Kremer (BAL)- Dean Kremer has a 4.23 ERA and 1.25 WHIP through 121. 1 IP. Outside of a terrible first month (7.04 ERA), he has pitched better (3.28 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 15% K:BB). It is not a league-winning profile, but he is a solid back-end starter, especially in deeper mixed leagues.
1B Miguel Vargas (CWS)-Miguel Vargas has had a roller coaster of a season. He started out the year poorly, then turned it on before falling back again. Vargas has been hot since the All-Star break (.357 AVG with 2 HR, 10 R, 6 RBI, and 0 SB). The issue Vargas has run into this year is an extreme fly ball approach (55% FB), which has killed his AVG at times. The rest of his skills look good (9% BB, 17% K, and 9% Barrels).
3B Ryan McMahon (NYY)-Ryan McMahon was traded to the Yankees this week. McMahon is moving from one hitter-friendly park to another. Coors Field is better for AVG, but Yankee Stadium should help McMahon across the board. He is hitting .217 with 16 HR, 42 R, 35 RBI, and 2 SB in 100 GP. McMahon should hit for a higher average and more power in Yankee Stadium. He should also see his counting stats improve, considering the Rockies had one of the worst offenses in baseball.
OF Ramon Laureano (BAL)- It will be interesting to see if the Orioles trade Ramon Laureano before the deadline. He has been successful this year (.273 AVG with 14 HR/4 SB). The skills underneath also look solid (8% BB, 26% K, and 12% Barrels). Right now, he is playing every day but that could change if he were to be traded.
RP Seranthony Dominguez/Yennier Cano (BAL)- Gregory Soto got the first save chance since Felix Bautista hit the IL but was traded the next day. This leaves Seranthony Dominguez and Yennier Cano as options to close out games. Dominguez has been better this year (3.32 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 17% K:BB) than Cano (4.54 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 16% K:BB), but he has a much higher walk rate (14% vs. 8%). Both could see save chances, so both are fantasy viable at this point.
SP Joe Boyle (TBR)- The Rays sent Taj Bradley back to the minors to open a spot for Joe Boyle, who had been used as a follower recently. Boyle has been awesome for the Rays this year (1.42 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, and 17% K:BB). The biggest change for him has been cutting his walk rate in half (18% to 9%). He has had the pure stuff to miss bats (26% K and 12% SwStr, so it was just a matter of throwing more strikes, and the Rays have figured out how to help him do that.
SP Cam Schlitter (NYY)- Cam Schlitter has now made two starts, and the results have been mixed. He has a 4.35 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 10.1 IP. Schlitter has shown a plus fastball, which is a great foundation for success at the major league level. He has struggled with command at times (11% BB), which is not an issue in the minors this year (9% BB). Schlitter has the stuff to have above-average strikeouts and average ratios on a good team. It takes a little leap of faith to see how it works, but the pure stuff is good enough to take a chance on him. A slight improvement in his control/command would go a long way.
Registered members can click on the following link to see the complete weekly report: http://www.fantistics.com/baseball00/M-Strategyplus.
