In The Field
C James McCann (wrist) had successful surgery on Tuesday and is expected to be out until late June. OF Jason Heyward was placed on the Covid IL on Tuesday. SS Willy Adames (ankle) was placed on the 10-day IL on Wednesday. It was a retroactive move so he will be eligible to come on May 26. 3B Luis Urias has been playing short while he has been out with 3B Mike Brosseau and 3B Jace Peterson manning third. OF Tyler O'Neill (shoulder) has been placed on the 10-day IL. The belief is that he will only need the minimum before returning. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals decided to call up one of their top prospects 3B Nolan Gorman. He is going to play 2B with 2B Tommy Edman shifting over to SS. It would be nice for Edman to gain SS eligibility which would add to his versatility. Nolan Gorman needs to be added as he was tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A. He was hitting .308 with 15 HR, 31 R, 23 RBI, and 3 SB in 34 GP. 2B Nico Hoerner (ankle) has been cleared to do baseball activities. He still needs to progress through running at full speed and being able to make a change of direction before he can begin a rehab assignment. 2B Nick Madrigal (back) is still recovering and hasn't been able to start baseball activities. This means that he is still not close to returning. 2B David Bote (shoulder) has started a rehab assignment. He had offseason shoulder surgery so this is a good sign. He figures to enter into some sort of utility role when he does return. The Cubs have a log jam in the infield (Jonathan Villar, Andrelton Simmons, Nick Madrigal, Nico Hoerner, and Patrick Wisdom) when everyone is healthy. OF Starling Marte (bereavement) returned to the Mets lineup on Saturday. This means that 2B/OF Jeff McNeil will return to playing second and that means DH will become more crowded (J.D. Davis, Dominic Smith, and Pete Alonso). 2B Jean Segura was out of the lineup on Thursday with cold symptoms but returned to the lineup on Friday. OF Bryce Harper (elbow) is going to continue to miss time periodically as he is trying to recover/play through a torn UCL in his throwing arm. He has been excellent when on the field (.305 AVG with 9 HR, 29 R, 27 RBI, and 6 SB) so the hope is that he continues to be elite when he does play because he is going to get fewer at-bats than other top options. 2B Ketel Marte dealt with a hand injury early in the week but returned to the lineup on Thursday. OF Jorge Soler (back) was out of the lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday but returned on Friday. This injury means that Soler will be day-to-day for the next couple of days. C Roberto Perez is going to be out the rest of the year after having surgery on his left hamstring. This means that the Pirates will go with a combination of Michael Perez and Tyler Heineman. Neither are going to be fantasy relevant. OF Andrew McCutchen was activated off the Covid IL on Friday and returned to the lineup. This means that OF Tyrone Taylor will go back to a part-time role. This also means that there will be limited playing time for 1B Keston Hiura. OF Nick Senzel (Covid) began a rehab assignment on Wednesday and figures to return early next week. OF Albert Almora Jr. will shift into a part-time role. OF LaMonte Wade is dealing with a knee injury that has kept him out of the lineup. He is only going to play against RHP so he needs to be healthy because it is hard enough to roster him in weekly leagues as is. The good news is that he hits leadoff when in the lineup so keeping track of the Giants upcoming schedule is essential to maximizing his value. The bad news is that he was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday. 1B Joey Votto returned to the lineup on Friday. He has struggled this year and under the hood doesn't look much better (.122 AVG, 32% K, and 6% Barrels). This could be nearing the end for Votto but hopefully, I am wrong. SS Jose Barrero started a rehab assignment on Friday. It is going to be a lengthy rehab assignment because he has not played at all this year. However, if he proves to be healthy and productive there is no reason that he shouldn't be the Reds starting shortstop. 3B Carter Kieboom (elbow) is going to have Tommy John surgery and is out for this season. 3B Joey Wendle (hamstring) participated in baseball activities on Friday. He is eligible to be activated on Sunday but is not a guarantee. OF Kris Bryant (back) was activated off the 10-day IL. OF Sam Hilliard is likely going to lose the most playing time with Bryant back. OF Jake Fraley (knee) has started a rehab assignment. C Willson Contreras (hamstring) left Saturday's game after stealing second. The severity of the injury is not known. 2B Josh Rojas was hit on the hand by a pitch and had to leave the game on Saturday. 1B Brandon Belt was scratched from the lineup due to right knee soreness. SS Miguel Rojas left Saturday's game with calf tightness. OF Dylan Carlson was removed from the game on Saturday with hamstring tightness.
On The Mound
Antonio Senzatela (back) was placed on the 15-day IL. Jack Flaherty (shoulder) has been transferred to the 60-day IL. This shift doesn't impact his rehab timetable as he was likely going to be out this long anyway. He will need a rehab assignment and at this time we will have a better understanding of when he will be back. Tylor Megill (bicep) played catch on Thursday. He will need to start a throwing program before returning but this should be seen as encouraging news. Max Scherzer on the other hand is not so lucky. He is going to be out 6-8 weeks with an oblique strain. This is a huge blow to fantasy managers. It is going to be hard to replace his stats (2.54 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 25% K:BB). Marlins top pitching prospect Max Meyer has been placed on the IL with ulnar nerve irritation. He has been pitching well (4.54 ERA, 1.16 WHI, 27% K, and 9% BB). Meyer was getting a lot of buzz about being close to a call-up but this injury throws cold water on him for quite a while. Marcus Stroman (Covid) returned and started against the Diamondbacks on Thursday (5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, and 6 K). Andrew Heaney (shoulder) threw a 15-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday and then another 30-pitch bullpen on Friday. He will need to continue to build up his arm strength and pitch count prior to starting a rehab assignment. Once that happens, we will have a better picture of when he will return. Mike Minor (shoulder) made a rehab start on Friday and is expected to be activated next week. On Tuesday, Nick Lodolo (back) was shut down from throwing for a week. This pushes back his return because he will require a rehab start. Clayton Kershaw (hip) was not able to complete his bullpen session on Wednesday. He is still experiencing soreness. Jacob deGrom (shoulder) had an MRI on Monday and he continues to heal. He is now scheduled to start building up distance and velocity in his throwing program. He is still a long way from returning and anything can happen in between but he is currently trending in the right direction. Joe Ross (elbow) threw 43 pitches over 3 IP during a simulated game on Thursday. The next logical step is for him to start a rehab assignment. He isn't eligible to come off the IL until early June. Stephen Strasburg (neck) was able to throw 43 pitches during a simulated game on Thursday. Similar to Ross, his next outing could be part of a rehab assignment in affiliate ball. Mackenzie Gore is going to start for the Padres on Sunday. This is just a spot start as he has been relegated to the bullpen.
In The Bullpen
Jake McGee (back) was able to make a rehab appearance at Triple-A (13 pitches). He is currently on the 15-day IL and isn't eligible to return until May 26th. Camilo Doval had been dominant as the Giants closer (0.61 ERA 7/7 SVs) since giving up 3 ER on Opening Day but he blew his second save on Friday night. Despite this, he has bought himself a bit of rope so McGee's value has taken a major hit even without the injury. Lucas Sims (back) has not started throwing which makes it unlikely that he will return when first eligible from the 15-day IL. Tony Santillan picked up a save for the Reds on Thursday. The Reds will continue to mix and match at the end of games which makes it hard to roster any of their relievers. Alexis Diaz also picked up a save for the Reds. Blake Treinen (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day and then transferred to the 60-day IL on Tuesday. David Bednar has picked up three saves over the past seven days compared to none by Chris Stratton. Rowan Wick picked up two saves while David Robertson was out. Robertson has returned so he goes back to being the closer but Wick is now clearly the next guy up.
Players to add this week:
3B Nolan Gorman (STL)- Nolan Gorman has been off to a ridiculously hot start in Triple-A. He was hitting .308 with 15 HR, 31 R, 23 RBI, and 3 SB in 34 GP. The power is legit but banking on stolen bases from Gorman is not wise. There is also a good chance that he struggles to hit for average given the swing and miss in his game (34% K at Triple-A). Gorman is going to be a hot pickup and needs to be rostered across the board even with his potential warts because the power is legit and the Cardinals wouldn't have called him up if it wasn't to play regularly.
SP Matthew Liberatore (STL)- This may just be temporary but the Cardinals have called up Matthew Liberatore to start on Saturday. He has a 3.83 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 21% K:BB at Triple-A. The Cardinals home park is a great place for pitchers so if he is here to stick, Liberatore is someone to roster.
1B Christian Walker (ARI)- Christian Walker isn't hitting for average (.209 AVG) but everything else checks out. His overall line reads .209 AVG with 10 HR, 20 R, 19 RBI, and 0 SB. He has strong plate skills (11% BB and 20% K) and has been crushing the ball (16% Barrels, 48% Hardhit, and 112.1 mph maxEV). The good news is that his luck is turning around because he is hitting .281 in May.
SP Tyler Anderson (LAD)- Tyler Anderson is starting for one of the top teams in baseball. Also one of the teams that has a very good track record with pitchers. He has a 4.04 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 20% K:BB. His 3.41 SIERA suggests that he has pitched better than his ERA indicates. Anderson has increased his strikeout rate (23% K) and has maintained above-average control (3% BB). He needs to be rostered as long as he is starting.
RP Alexis Diaz (CIN)- Alexis Diaz picked up his first save this week. He has pitched well for the Reds. He has a 1.02 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 28% K. The one downside is that he has struggled with control (15% BB). This makes his profile very volatile but if he is going to get save opportunities he needs to be rostered in deeper mixed leagues despite the Reds going with a committee.
3B Mike Moustakas (CIN)- Mike Moustakas is playing regularly and has been hitting well of late. He is hitting .268 with 3 HR 11 R, 8 RBI, and 0 SB in May. This isn't just good fortune either as his plate skills have been excellent (10% BB and 16% K).
Registered members can click on the following link to see the complete weekly report: http://www.fantistics.com/baseball00/M-Strategyplus.
