In The Field
2B Nolan Gorman was scratched from the Cardinals' lineup on Friday. He is dealing with a back injury and was considered day-to-day, but the Cardinals made the decision to place him on the 10-day IL on Saturday. OF Sal Frelick was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday with a hamstring injury. OF Blake Perkins was recalled to take his place on the active roster. 2B Ketel Marte was placed on the restricted list on Friday. He is going to take additional time off after his home was broken into during the All-Star break. Marte hit .290 with 19 HR, 52 R, 40 RBI, and 2 SB in the first half. 3B Max Muncy (knee) started swinging a bat on Friday. He is progressing on schedule and is expected to return in the middle of August. 3B Austin Riley (abdomen) took batting practice on Friday. He is expected back next week. Riley hit .274 with 14 HR, 51 R, 48 RBI, and 2 SB in the first half. It will be interesting to see if the Braves can get their core healthy and swinging hot bats at the same time to make some noise in the second half. 2B Ozzie Albies has stayed healthy but has struggled this year (.221 AVG with 8 HR, 40 R, 33 RBI, and 7 SB), and OF Michael Harris II has also been a disappointment (.211 AVG with 6 HR, 22 R, 44 RBI, and 12 SB). 2B Thairo Estrada was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday with a thumb injury. He jammed his thumb on July 7 against the Red Sox. He is expected to be back next week since the IL move was backdated to July 11. The Rockies activated SS Ezequiel Tovar in a corresponding move. Tovar has struggled to stay on the field this year. He is hitting .258 with 3 HR, 14 R, 10 RBI, and 2 SB in 33 GP. C Keibert Ruiz (concussion) has started baseball activities but is going to be brought along slowly, according to manager Miguel Cairo. OF Dylan Crews (oblique) is getting close to a rehab assignment. He is going to need multiple games to get himself acclimated to playing again and to get his timing back. He has been out for almost two months. Crews was struggling to hit for average before getting hurt (.196 AVG). The core skills still look strong (6% BB, 28% K, 15% Barrels, and 41% Hardhit) to where he could have a strong finish to the season. OF Jordan Walker was activated and back in the Cardinals lineup on Friday. He had been out while recovering from appendicitis. Walker has struggled at the major league level. Through 838 PA, he is hitting .243 with 24 HR, 88 R, 94 RBI, and 11 SB. Most of his success was in his rookie season because he has hit .203 with 8 HR/4 SB and 31% K over the past two seasons. 3B Eugenio Suarez received a scare when he was hit by a pitch on the hand during the All-Star game. He was in the lineup on Friday playing third base. Suarez earned his All-Star appearance by hitting .251 with 31 HR, 59 R, 78 RBI, and 1 SB in the first half. 3B Connor Norby is going to be out 6-8 weeks after having left hamate surgery on Wednesday. 3B Graham Pauley is expected to get the majority of at-bats while he is out. Pauley was hitting .260 with 7 HR/5 SB in 34 GP at Triple-A and .213 with 0 HR/1 SB in 30 GP at the major league level. C Miguel Amaya (oblique) is expected to be back in August and should start a rehab assignment soon. Amaya was hitting .280 with 4 Hr, 14 R, 25 RBI, and 0 SB before going on the IL. C Carson Kelly has played well in his absence (.272 AVG with 12 HR, 36 R, 33 RBI, and 0 SB), so when Amaya does return, he will not be the primary catcher and will split playing time with Kelly, best-case scenario. 3B Alec Bohm sat out Sunday's game before the break with a rib injury. The break did not allow him enough time to heal because, despite being back in the lineup on Friday, he was placed on the 10-day IL on Saturday. SS CJ Abrams was out Sunday before the break with shoulder soreness but was back in the lineup on Friday. Abrams is looking to sustain his success over the second half, unlike last year. He is hitting .287 with 13 HR, 62 R, 35 RBI, and 20 SB. There has been speculation that the Braves could trade C Sean Murphy with the emergence of rookie C Drake Baldwin, but they seem content to keep both. This is going to limit the playing time of both catchers, but they have proven that they still have value even if they split time. Murphy is hitting .233 with 16 HR, 24 R, 38 RBI, and 0 SB in 229 PA, and Baldwin is hitting .284 with 11 HR, 22 R, 33 RBI, and 0 SB in 215 PA. OF Lars Nootbaar (ribs) is expected to start a hitting progression on Monday. He is eligible to return on July 23 from the 10-day IL.
On The Mound
Hunter Greene (groin) is scheduled to make a rehab start in the Arizona Complex League next week, according to manager Terry Francona. Greene has been out since early July and was one of the best pitchers in the league before going down with injury (2.72 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 31% K, and 6% BB). Aaron Nola is scheduled for a 35-pitch live BP session on Saturday and then a bullpen on Tuesday. If everything goes well, he could start a rehab assignment at the end of next week. He has been out since May 16, so he will need multiple starts before being activated. Nola struggled mightily prior to the injury (6.16 ERA and 1.51 WHIP). Chris Sale (ribs) played catch on Tuesday. This was his first time throwing since going on the IL. He is not eligible to return until the third week of August. Blake Snell (shoulder) pitched well in his latest rehab start at the Arizona Complex League (3 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, and 7 K). He is going to make one, if not two more rehab starts, before being activated, but he is getting close to returning. The Dodgers' rotation currently consists of Clayton Kershaw, Emmet Sheehan, Shohei Ohtani, Dustin May, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohanti is also slowly building up his workload, so they could use another quality starter. Emmet Sheehan has only made two starts for the Dodgers but has looked good (2.03 ERA and 1.05 WHIP). It is a small sample, but the skills have looked good (24% K and 7% BB), and it doesn't hurt pitching for one of the best teams in baseball in terms of opportunities for wins. Edward Cabrera (elbow) left his start before the All-Star break with elbow discomfort, but his MRI revealed no structural damage. He is expected to be in the Marlins' rotation coming out of the break. Cabrera is in the midst of his best season yet at the major league level (3.61 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 3.77 SIERA). He has been able to keep the walks under control (9% BB), which has allowed his stuff to play at a higher level. Roki Sasaki (shoulder) could return in late August, according to manager Dave Roberts. Sasaki is going to need to prove that he is healthy and change his pitch mix to be effective at the major league level. This is a lot to ask before the end of the year. This makes him a tough roster in redraft leagues. Long term, the potential is still there, and he is certainly young enough to break out, but it doesn't look like it will be this year. Janson Junk has now made five starts for the Marlins. He has a 2.68 ERA and 0.99 WHIP through 10 G (5 GS). He doesn't miss many bats (19% K) but has elite control (2% BB). This is important considering his home park benefits pitchers. He isn't going to win any leagues given the lack of strikeouts, but he provides nice value at the back end of your rotation. He will start Sunday at home against the Royals and then next week on the road against the Brewers.
In The Bullpen
Shelby Miller (forearm) has started a throwing program. He is dealing with a flexor tendon/UCL injury, so this could still take different turns. Miller has pitched well while healthy this year (1.98 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 20% K:BB). Kevin Ginkel appears to be the guy right now, but he has struggled in the role in the past. Ronny Henriquez has taken over as the Marlins' closer from Calvin Faucher. He has the skills to stick in the role (2.54 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 33% K, and 9% BB). The Phillies' bullpen has moved back to a committee with Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm getting save opportunities depending on the matchup. This means that both are fantasy viable with Strahm providing a ton of value this year (3.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 1 W, and 6 SV). Trevor Megill picked up his 22nd save on Friday, coming out of the break, and continues to be a dominant closer (2.34 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 20% K:BB). The Nationals are likely to trade Kyle Finnegan at the deadline, but they do not have a next guy up. Their two setup guys (Jose A. Ferrer and Cole Henry) do not have the skills to be a lockdown closer.
Players to add this week:
SP Janson Junk (MIA)- Janson Junk has now made five starts for the Marlins. He has a 2.68 ERA and 0.99 WHIP through 10 G (5 GS). He doesn't miss many bats (19% K) but has elite control (2% BB). This is important considering his home park benefits pitchers. He isn't going to win any leagues given the lack of strikeouts, but he provides nice value at the back end of your rotation. He will start Sunday at home against the Royals and then next week on the road against the Brewers.
C Agustin Ramirez (MIA)- Agustin Ramirez is hitting .245 with 14 HR, 41 R, 42 RBI, and 1 SB. He isn't going to help you with batting average, but he does provide elite power (.224 ISO), which is backed up by 12% Barrels and 48% Hardhit. His home park is not favorable to hitters, but he has the quality of contact that can overcome it.
3B Noelvi Marte (CIN)- Noelvi Marte is in the midst of a breakout season for the Reds. He is hitting .280 with 6 HR, 14 R, 23 RBI, and 5 SB. The plate skills have improved (7% BB and 17% K) to go along with strong quality of contact (9% Barrels).
OF Alec Burleson (STL)-Alec Burleson is playing every day and providing value across the board. He is hitting .294 with 11 HR, 31 R, 43 RBI, and 4 SB. Burleson has good plate skills (7% BB and 13% K), which keeps him in the lineup and not platooned. He has also improved his quality of contact this year (9% Barrels and 43% Hardhit).
SP Emmet Sheehan (LAD)-Emmet Sheehan has only made two starts for the Dodgers but has looked good (2.03 ERA and 1.05 WHIP). It is a small sample, but the skills have looked good (24% K and 7% BB), and it doesn't hurt pitching for one of the best teams in baseball in terms of opportunities for wins.
RP Ronny Henriquez (MIA)- Ronny Henriquez has taken over as the Marlins' closer from Calvin Faucher. He has the skills to stick in the role (2.54 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 33% K, and 9% BB). Henriquez needs to be rostered in all formats.
RP Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering (PHI)- The Phillies' bullpen has moved back to a committee with Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm getting save opportunities depending on the matchup. This means that both are fantasy viable with Strahm providing a ton of value this year (3.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 1 W, and 6 SV). Kerkering has a 2.78 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 9% K:BB.
Registered members can click on the following link to see the complete weekly report: http://www.fantistics.com/baseball00/M-Strategyplus.
