In The Field
2B Brandon Drury (hamstring) told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com that he expects to return from the IL on June 11. He has been out since May 9 with this injury but has been able to ramp up his activity level. Drury will need a rehab assignment prior to being activated so that will give a more concrete date for his return. The most likely scenario when he returns is that 3B Luis Guillorme goes back to a bench role and Kyren Paris/Cole Tucker no longer gets occasional playing time. OF Tyler O'Neill was placed on the 10-day IL on Wednesday with right knee inflammation. He is eligible to return on June 5 because it is a retroactive IL placement. O'Neill has struggled since suffering his concussion (.200 AVG, 4 HR, 15 R, 9 RBI, and 41% K). Rays top prospect Junior Caminero was placed on the 7-day IL with a Grade 2 left quad strain. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks which is disappointing news because he was believed to be on the cusp of being called up. We will now have to wait 4-6 weeks for him to be healthy again plus additional time to show the Rays that he is ready for major league pitching. 3B Jordan Westburg was not in the Orioles lineup on Wednesday due to a sore right hand. He was back in the lineup on Saturday. Westburg is hitting .291 with 8 HR, 28 R, 34 RBI, and 5 SB so hopefully this doesn't turn into a more serious injury, and that two days off did the trick. 3B Josh Jung (wrist) has resumed swinging and looks good according to manager Bruce Bochy. He is still not close to returning but this is encouraging news. Once he starts a rehab assignment we will have a better understanding of when he will be back. OF Luis Robert Jr. (hip) was on rehab early in the week and is expected to return to the White Sox lineup on Tuesday. Robert Jr. was hitting .214 with 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, and 1 SB in 7 GP before the injury. OF Josh Lowe (oblique) did a full baseball workout before Tuesday's game. He was expected to return when first eligible on Sunday but is now aiming to return on Tuesday. OF Kerry Carpenter was placed on the 10-day IL on Wednesday with lumbar spine inflammation which turned into a stress fracture after further testing. He is expected to miss a good chunk of time. The Tigers called up OF Akil Baddoo to take his roster spot. The Tigers are going to play Baddoo some but it is likely that they stick with OF Wenceel Perez, OF Matt Vierling, and OF Riley Greene for the majority of the at-bats. OF Jasson Dominguez (elbow) played defense for the first time on a rehab assignment on Wednesday. The Yankees are likely to use his full 20-game rehab assignment to get him back up to speed similar to spring training. However, once is done with his assignment it is likely that he is obtained to Triple-A because the Yankees do not have an open spot with regular playing time in the outfield (Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Alex Verdugo). OF Evan Carter was placed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday with lower-back tightness. He also dealt with a back issue in the middle of May. Carter has struggled in his first full season at the major league level (.188 AVG with 5 HR, 23 R, 15 RBI, 2 SB, and 27% K). 3B D.J. LeMahieu has returned to the Yankees and is going to be the primary third baseman. This means that 3B Oswaldo Cabrera is no longer going to get regular at-bats. LeMahieu is also now batting ninth instead of leadoff with SS Anthony Volpe taking over as the Yankees leadoff hitter. This is good news for Volpe and a hit to LeMahieu's already declining fantasy profile. OF Steven Kwan (hamstring) has had his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A early in the week and returned to the Guardians lineup on Friday. It will be interesting to see how the Guardians incorporate OF David Fry who has been red hot since Kwan hit the IL. It's possible they could play Fry at 1B which would put an end to 1B Kyle Manzardo's everyday role. Manzardo hasn't done much to deserve a regular role (.232 AVG with 0 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 31%, and 3% BB). OF Luke Raley was not in the Mariners lineup on Thursday due to a sore lat. He is considered day-to-day. OF Masataka Yoshida (thumb) is expected to start swinging a bat soon. We will have a more definite timeline for his return when he starts facing live pitching. 2B Jorge Polanco was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain on Monday. He has struggled mightily in Seattle (.195 AVG with 5 HR, 15 R, 14 RBI, and 1 SB). His biggest struggle has been hitting the fastball (.135/.224/.436) which is not a sign that he is going to turn it around. 2B Michael Massey (back) visited a back specialist on Friday and received injections. He isn't eligible to return until Tuesday so the Royals want to see how his body responds to the treatment before committing to a return date. OF Daulton Varsho was out of the Blue Jays lineup on Friday as he deals with food poisoning. He is considered day-to-day. 1B Nolan Schanuel was scratched from the Angels lineup on Friday night due to thumb soreness. Schanuel has been playing every day but has struggled to produce any real fantasy value. He is hitting .224 with 5 HR, 17 R, 18 RBI, and 0 SB. He makes a lot of contact (17% K) but simply cannot hit the ball hard (3% Barrels and 26% Hardhit). OF Andrew Benintendi left Saturday's game early with left Achilles tendinitis. 2B Vaughn Grissom left Saturday's game early due to a right hamstring strain. He missed the first month of the season with a left hamstring strain.
On The Mound
Gerrit Cole (elbow) threw a live BP session (20 pitches) earlier in the week before another live BP session on Saturday. This was the third time that he has thrown to live hitters so it appears close to starting a rehab assignment. He is progressing well at this point and is expected back before the end of June. The Yankees currently have been very fortunate in their starting rotation so it will be interesting to see what move they make when Cole returns. They did not have an opening with Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, and Nestor Cortes throwing the ball well. The most likely would likely have been a scenario that will revolve around limiting the innings of Gil after throwing just 4 IP in 2023 but Clarke Schmidt was placed on the 15-day IL with a right lat strain. Alek Manoah had an MRI done on Thursday after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow following his start against the White Sox which showed a sprain of his UCL. Manoah had looked good through 5 GS (3.70 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 18% K:BB, and 3.64 SIERA). Alex Wood (shoulder) is expected to play catch this weekend. Ross Stripling (elbow) has been shut down from throwing for up to 10 days. He will then be reevaluated but this is not good news for someone who was struggling prior to the injury (5.82 ERA and 1.60 WHIP). Zach Eflin (back) threw a bullpen session on Thursday. He is progressing but the team has not given a timeline for his return. Eflin had solid ratios (4.12 ERA and 1.17 WHIP) but has not been able to replicate the increased strikeout rate from a year ago (27% K vs. 18% K). Max Scherzer (back/arm) threw a bullpen session earlier in the week and on Saturday. He is getting ready to face live hitters. Nathan Eovaldi (groin) was activated off the IL on Tuesday and started against the Diamondbacks (3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, and 2 K). He missed a month and had no rehab assignment so it was no surprise that he did not go long in this one. Dean Kremer (tricep) is unlikely to return when first eligible on June 5, but he is progressing and should start throwing soon. Kremer has been solid this year (4.32 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 15% K:BB). Mike Clevinger was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday with right elbow inflammation. Clevinger has been terrible through four starts (6.75 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, and 8% K:BB). Garrett Whitlock (elbow) had internal brace surgery on Thursday. He is going to miss the rest of this season and likely at least the start of 2025. Brady Singer was scratched from his start on Thursday due to an illness. Jeffrey Springs (elbow/lat) has resumed throwing after having to stop his rehab assignment due to lat soreness. Chris Bassitt left Monday's start early with neck spasms. He is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays on Sunday. Cristian Javier was placed on the 15-day IL on Monday due to right forearm discomfort. Gavin Williams started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Thursday. He is going to need multiple rehab starts before being activated. Joe Boyle (back) is going to make another rehab start on Tuesday before being activated. Boyle had a 7.16 ERA and 1.73 WHIP through 7 GS before the injury. Luis Garcia (elbow) threw a 20-pitch simulated inning in which he faced live hitters. The next step is to begin a rehab assignment as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Tyler Wells (elbow) and John Means (elbow) will both require surgery on their UCL's and be out for the remainder of the season. This is a huge blow to the depth of the Orioles rotation which already has Dean Kremer on the IL. Bowden Francis (forearm) is a candidate to take Alek Manoah's spot in the rotation. Francis has struggled when given an opportunity this year (8.59 ERA and 1.70 WHIP with 15% K:BB).
In The Bullpen
Jordan Romano was unavailable on Friday night due to elbow soreness. His manager John Schneider said that his elbow did not recover as hoped following his latest outing. He was placed on the 15-day IL on Saturday. This is not good news and makes Yimi Garcia a pickup. Chad Green could be an option as well as he came off the IL on Monday. Craig Kimbrel bounced back nicely this past week going 2 for 2 on save chances cementing himself as the Orioles closer once again. Clay Holmes blew his third save of the year but bounced back the next day to pick up his 14th save. The Rays bullpen continues to be an absolute mess from a predictable usage perspective. Pete Fairbanks had a good week (W and SV) but Jason Adam and Richard Lovelady blew saves chances while Garrett Cleavinger picked up a win. Fairbanks and Adam are still the two to own from a fantasy perspective but the team will continue to do everything matchup so save opportunities will be spread out. Jhoan Duran had a great week with 3 SV and now has 3.21 ERA, 1.21 WHIP with 9 SV. Mason Miller blew his first save chance of the year but still has been utterly dominant 11 for 12 SV with a 2.08 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 41% K:BB. Andres Munoz picked up two saves and now has 12 SV on the year to go along with elite ratios (1.42 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 28% K:BB). Ryne Stanek continues to be fantasy-relevant as he picked up a win and a save this week
Players to add this week:
OF David Fry (CLE)- David Fry has been excellent for the Guardians this year. He is hitting .352 with 8 HR, 27 R, 27 RBI, and 4 SB in 40 GP. He is also catcher-eligible in most fantasy leagues which is ridiculous production not to mention everyday playing time. He has shown good plate skills (18% K and 17% BB) to go along with strong quality of contact metrics (7% Barrels and 44% Hardhit).
2B Dylan Moore (SEA)- Dylan Moore is hitting .222 with 6 HR, 18 R, 20 RBI, and 8 SB. The average isn't great but he is hitting the ball hard (9% Barrels and 44% Hardhit) and taking his walks (12% BB) which gives him real-life value to play regularly. We will take the 6 HR/8 SB just plan accordingly for the batting average.
OF Jake Meyers (HOU)- Jake Meyers is playing well in every aspect of the game (offensively and defensively) so the Astros have every incentive to keep his bat in the lineup on a nightly basis. He is hitting .289 with 6 HR, 16 R, 22 RBI, and 3 SB. Meyers has good plate skills (19% K and 8% BB) to go along with better quality of contact this year (8% Barrels and 42% Hardhit). He needs to be rostered in mixed leagues given his ability to make contact and provide both power and speed.
3B Matt Vierling (DET)-Matt Vierling hit .306 with 5 HR, 13 R, 21 RBI, and 0 SB in May. On the year, he is hitting .287 with 7 HR, 24 R, 28 RBI, and 0 SB. He is hitting the ball harder (6% Barrels and 45% Hardhit) than at any point in his career. Vierling also makes enough contact (22% K) to make the most of his power. He has also been hitting in the top third of the Tigers lineup which isn't great but still gives him additional at-bats and counting stats.
OF Nelson Velasquez (KCR)- Nelson Velasquez has worked himself into an everyday role for the Royals. He is hitting .220 with 8 HR, 25 R, 21 RBI, and 1 SB. The average isn't great due to his strikeout rate (29% K). He hits for power because pulls the ball (43% Pull) and hits the ball in the air (50% FB). In the short term, he should provide power and regular playing time. Do not be afraid to move on quickly if either of those dry up.
RP Yimi Garcia (TOR)- Jordan Romano is dealing with forearm soreness and is day-to-day after results showed no structural damage. Yimi Garcia is likely the next guy up so speculating won't hurt. He has been excellent this year (1.23 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, and 24% K:BB).
SP Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN)- Simeon Woods Richardons has pitched well this year (2.70 ERA and 1.10 WHIP) despite struggling to miss bats (18% K). He has countered that with good control (6% BB) and limiting hard contact (7% Barrels and 0.45 HR/9). His 4.24 SIERA suggests that regression is going to hit him hard which is likely given his strikeout rate and fly ball approach. With that being said his next two matchups could not be much better. He gets the Pirates in PNC Park and then a home start against the Athletics. This makes him worth holding onto for a bit longer or adding as a streaming option.
Registered members can click on the following link to see the complete weekly report: http://www.fantistics.com/baseball00/M-Strategyplus.
