In The Field
The Diamondbacks' boosted their outfield last week as they acquired OF J.D. Martinez from the Tigers for prospects. NL-only league owners should have already snatched up the power-hitting outfielder, but mixed league owners should also see a boost in production in hitter-friendly Chase Field. Martinez is currently day-to-day with a hand contusion but should be fine for the upcoming week. 2B Brandon Phillips is day-to-day after leaving Thursday's game with a hamstring injury. Deeper league owners considering Phillips this week will need to keep an eye on his status before plugging him in. 3B Kris Bryant returned to the Cubs' lineup on Saturday after missing a few games last week with a finger injury. Keep Bryant active in your lineups this week. Jose Peraza has landed on the bench in Cincinnati as the manager Brian Price has turned to Scooter Gennett as his every-day 2B. Peraza is droppable in leagues where he was still owned while Gennett is worth a look in deep mixed and NL-only leagues. C Devin Mesoraco was activated from the DL on Wednesday after recovering from a sprained shoulder. Mesoraco carries mixed league upside but hasn't been able to stay healthy enough to recommend owning as the your only catcher. OF Charlie Blackmon returned to the Rockies' lineup on Friday after leaving Wednesday's game with quad tightness. Blackmon looks to be fine for the upcoming week but owners will want to keep an eye on his status just to be safe. OF David Dahl was activated from the DL last week but was sent down to Triple-A to get more seasoning. Dahl has potential to be a mixed league contributor down the stretch if he gets the call, but the Rockies are dealing with a bit of a logjam at the moment. 3B Justin Turner was out of the Dodgers' lineup on Saturday with an upper respiratory infection but should be back in action today. Plan on having Turner available for your lineups this week. 1B Adrian Gonzalez remains on the DL recovering from his back injury and isn't expected to begin a rehab assignment until next week at the earliest. Keep him stashed away. 3B Martin Prado was placed on the 10-day DL last week with a knee sprain and will likely be out until next month. Prado isn't worth stashing outside of deep NL-only leagues. Derek Dietrich will again find himself in the Marlins' lineups on most nights and is worth a look in those same NL-only leagues. OF Ryan Braun returned to the Brewers' lineup on Saturday after missing three straight games with nagging calf and wrist injuries. As long as he's healthy, Braun will be a solid OF option this week. 2B Eric Sogard was activated from the DL on Friday and will likely eat into the playing time of the struggling Jonathan Villar. Villar will be droppable if he finds himself in the lineup for less than half of the Brewers' games. C Stephen Vogt will miss at least a month after landing on the DL with an MCL sprain. Vogt is only worth stashing away in NL-only formats. Manny Pina will see the bulk of the action behind the plate for the Brewers and is worth a look in NL-only leagues. 2B Neil Walker is expected to be back in the Mets' lineup on Monday after missing over a month with a torn hamstring. Walker is worth a look in deeper leagues this week. IF Howie Kendrick was activated from the DL after spending nearly a month on the DL with a hamstring strain. Kendrick has actually hit well this season when healthy and is worth a look in deep leagues. OF Aaron Altherr was placed on the 10-day DL last week with a strained hamstring but while some reports stated that he was expected to miss 3-4 weeks with the injury, manager Pete Mackanin told reporters on Saturday that he could return as early as Tuesday. Keep an eye on Altherr's status as he could make a surprise return this week. 2B Cesar Hernandez was activated from the DL last week after recovering from an oblique strain. Hernandez has been a disappointment this season but still offers enough to warrant lineup consideration in some deeper leagues. OF Gregory Polanco will be out of action this week after landing on the 10-day DL with a hamstring strain. Keep Polanco stashed away this week. John Jaso will likely split time in the outfield with Jose Osuna and Adam Frazier with none of the three having enough value to recommend adding. C Austin Hedges remains on the 7-day DL as he recovers from a concussion but will likely return when first eligible on Tuesday. He remains a viable play for owners looking for some pop from the catcher position. 3B Eduardo Nunez returned to the Giants' lineup on Thursday after missing the previous game with a hamstring injury. Nunez remains a viable infield play in most league this week. C Yadier Molina was back in the Cardinals' lineup on Saturday after being scratched from Friday's game with ankle soreness. The veteran backstop remains a viable play in most leagues this week.
On The Mound
Taijuan Walker missed Thursday's start on paternity leave but will be back on the mound for the D-backs' at some point this week. He's a viable option in most leagues. Kyle Hendricks is expected to return to the Cubs' rotation for a start on Monday after recovering from inflammation in his hand. Hendricks is a viable SP in most formats this week now that he's healthy. Mike Montgomery will head back to the bullpen and is droppable in leagues where he was owned. Scott Feldman was placed on the 10-day DL last week with a sore knee. Feldman isn't worth stashing away. Robert Stephenson will take over Feldman's place in the Reds' rotation and does carry some upside, but he'll need to string together a few solid outings at the big league level before he's worth picking up. Hyun-Jin Ryu is expected to return from the DL on Monday for a start against the Twins. Ryu is worth a look in deep leagues when he makes that start but owners in shallower leagues my want to stash him away and see how he performs in his return. Brandon McCarthy is questionable for his next start with a blister on his pitching hand. McCarthy will throw a bullpen session today to determine his availability and fantasy owners would be wise to check on his status prior to setting lineups this week. Kenta Maeda could make a start in place of McCarthy and would be worth a look in deeper leagues. Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey both resumed throwing programs on Monday as they push for a return sometime in August or early September. Syndergaard is worth stashing away on his road back, but Harvey wasn't pitching well enough prior to his shoulder injury to warrant rostering without seeing how he performs in rehab action first. Vincent Velasquez pitched well in his return from the DL on Tuesday but has a tough draw to start the week with the Astros on deck. Velasquez still has the upside to be a valuable fantasy piece, but for now he's not a recommended start. Johnny Cueto remains on the DL with blister issues on his hand and it seems unlikely that he'll return for a start this week as he's yet to resume throwing. Keep an eye on Cueto's availability this week, but don't plan on having the veteran righty available. Edwin Jackson is currently filling the vacant slot in the Nationals rotation following the loss of Joe Ross for the rest of the season. Jackson isn't worth a fantasy roster slot as it's likely the Nationals will add another more palatable option at the back end of their rotation before the trade deadline.
In The Bullpen
Brandon Maurer blew a save on Friday, his first in two months. Unless he's dealt at the deadline the Padres will keep rolling with Maurer who remains a viable source of saves. Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle changed the landscape in the rocky Nationals bullpen and but the situation still hasn't truly cleared up as it was reported that Madson was the more coveted reliever in the deal, but it was Doolittle that got the nod in the first save situation. Doolittle seems to have the edge here, but both relievers are worth owning.
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