Zac Gallen
Gallen was pulled from his start just six pitches in due to a hamstring injury. Gallen has a decorated history of hamstring issues, which makes it all the more concerning. He referred to his hamstring injury prior in the year as "minor," but downgraded (upgraded?) this one to "mild." He also had a hamstring injury that forced him to miss time in 2021. While it is too early to say, I'm personally concerned, as pitchers rarely pull themselves unless they are in significant pain. I'd be surprised if he didn't miss at least one start.
Clarke Schmidt
In a surprising move, the Yankees placed Schmidt on the IL with a lat strain. Schmidt last pitched against San Diego a couple days ago and tossed five excellent innings, only allowing one earned. It's been a devastating year for pitching injuries, and to see an emerging talent randomly sidelined isn't fun. As of right now, there is no reason to believe he will miss more time than the minimum, so I would try and hold on to him in the meantime.
Other Notes...
Alex Bregman
Bregman went 2-4 with a homer, triple, two RBI, and two runs in a productive day against Seattle. Unfortunately for Bregman, these kinds of days are few and far in between, and they aren't really a part of a positive trend. His .641 OPS in the month of May is better than the .580 OPS he posted in April, but both are disappointing figures compared to the .804 figure last year. The important note here is that I don't think he is resurging quite yet. I'll give him credit for one day at the plate, but there isn't a whole lot of underlying change to suggest he is truly out of his slump.
Joey Ortiz
Ortiz went 1-3 with a double, RBI, and run against the Cubbies on Thursday. The rookie and former top prospect is slashing .281/.381/.496 across 161 PA's. He's been an absolute menace at the plate, refusing to Whiff (88th Percentile) and refusing to Chase (91st Percentile). He's been awesome in the month of May, where he's posted a .955 OPS. Ortiz is an average defender at two infield positions that aren't first base, so he provides a ton of real-life value that keeps him on the field regularly, which is excellent for fantasy purposes. He's creeped into must-add territory, especially since he's eligible for multiple positions.
Kyle Finnegan
Finnegan shut the door on Atlanta with a scoreless frame in the ninth, his 14th of the season. Finnegan has quietly been excellent for the Nats this season, posting a 1.71 ERA and .95 WHIP. Unfortunately, Finnegan's profile isn't exactly perfect. He throws hard and gets groundballs, but he also walks guys (11%) and misses bats at an average rate (43rd Percentile Chase / 51st Percentile Whiff). To date, he's been fairly lucky (4.47 xERA, 4.27 FIP, 3.28 xFIP), and that will rear it's head at some point. For now, he's got ratios and closer duties.
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