In The Field
OF Giancarlo Stanton is not expected back this weekend according to manager Aaron Boone. He continues to work out but isn't ready to return. The Yankees and Stanton hope that he returns on Monday. 1B Triston Casas (oblique) has been able to take full batting practice and is expected to start a rehab assignment soon. OF MJ Melendez (ankle) started a rehab assignment on Thursday and is expected to be back with the Royals soon. Melendez was hitting .273 with 3 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI and 0 SB in July. SS Jorge Mateo (elbow) is going to miss significant time according to his manager Brandon Hyde after dislocating his elbow in a collision with Gunnar Henderson. OF Evan Carter (back) was close to a rehab assignment and was expected to head out sometime late next week but has been shut down. He is going to get a second opinion on his lower back soreness. 3B Josh Jung (wrist) started his rehab assignment on Friday. The Rangers are going to have a bit of a roster crunch when both return. 3B Josh Smith has played his way into a regular at-bats (.285 AVG with 10 HR, 46 R, 43 RBI, and 6 SB). OF Mike Trout (knee) was pulled off his rehab assignment on Wednesday after experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. He had an MRI on his knee and it came back clean. He is expected to start running again. OF Byron Buxton left Wednesday's game early with a right forearm contusion after getting hit with a pitch. X-rays came back negative and he returned to the lineup on Friday. Buxton has stayed relatively healthy this year and is hitting .280 with 12 HR, 46 R, 42 RBI, and 6 SB. He is hitting the ball hard (12% Barrels and 48% Hardhit) and benefiting from good luck on balls in play (.348 BABIP). OF Julio Rodriguez (ankle) is likely to be out longer than the minimum according to general manager Justin Hollander. He is eligible to return on August 1 but he isn't going to be reevaluated until then. SS J.P. Crawford (finger) is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. He was hitting .204 with 9 HR, 42 R, 32 RBI, and 5 SB in 77 GP. 2B Dylan Moore has played short in the interim. He was playing regularly before Crawford's injury. Moore has provided a power/speed profile this year (8 HR/17 SB) albeit with a low batting average (.204). OF Dominic Canzone (adductor) is expected back in the middle of August. OF Kyle Tucker is expected back before September and the Astros are hoping that it is sooner than that. He has not played since June 3rd. 3B Jose Miranda started his rehab assignment on Wednesday and returned on Saturday. Miranda has been excellent with the stick so far this year (.325 AVG with 9 HR, 35 R, 43 RBI, and 2 SB). He has hit the ball harder (8% Barrels and 40% Hardhit) while striking out less (13% K). 1B Yandy Diaz (personal) was back in the Rays lineup on Friday. He had been out since the All-Star break dealing with a personal matter. Diaz is hitting .273 with 8 HR, 35 R, 46 RBI, and 0 SB. The Rays traded OF Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. Arozarena is in the midst of a down year in terms of batting average (.211) but everything else looks fine. He has good plate skills (25% K, 11% BB) and is hitting the ball hard (10% Barrels and 40% Hardhit). The only real difference has been a .249 BABIP compared to a career .317 BABIP. The move to Seattle is not a great one for right-handed hitters but Tropicana is also not a hitter-friendly environment so it is a moot point. The most likely candidate to see increased playing time in Tampa is OF Jonny DeLuca but they could also choose to play Brandon Lowe and/or Amed Rosario in the outfield because they have played it in the past. 1B Anthony Rizzo (forearm) has started agility drills and has already been working out in the weight room. Once he gets cleared for on-field baseball activities we will have a more definite timeline for his return. 3B Royce Lewis (groin) returned on Friday to the Twins lineup. Lewis has been phenomenal when on the field this year (.292 AVG with 10 HR, 18 R, 18 RBI, and 0 SB in 99 PA). The returns of Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda are going to cause a major shake-up in the Twins lineup. OF Matt Wallner is going to lose playing time and then one of 2B Edouard Julien or SS Brooks Lee is going to lose a regular role. OF Riley Greene was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain. The Tigers are going to roll with an outfield of Wenceel Perez, Justyn-Henry Malloy, and Mark Canha while Greene is on the shelf. The Orioles traded OF Austin Hays to the Phillies for Seranthony Dominguez and OF Cristian Pache. Hays is hitting .255 with 3 HR, 18 R, 14 RBI, and 0 SB. The move from Baltimore to Philadelphia from a park standpoint is a huge improvement. However, playing time is not guaranteed with the Phillies. He would have to be a regular to become fantasy-relevant again. The Yankees added OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. via trade. This is a huge upgrade for Chisholm in terms of his home park and the strength of the lineup. The Red Sox acquired C Danny Jansen from the Blue Jays. Jansen is going to enter into split duties once again with C Conner Wong. C Alejandro Kirk should see an increase in at-bats now that Jansen is gone.
On The Mound
Drew Rasmussen (elbow) threw a scoreless rehab inning on Wednesday. He averaged 96 mph and topped out at 98.3 mph which is in line with what he did a year ago. He is going to return as a reliever this year before returning to the rotation next year. Tyler Mahle (elbow) made his fifth rehab assignment on Thursday (4 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, and 3 K). He is going to need to get close to 70-75 pitches before being activated. Mahle had a 4.40 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 25% K and 9% BB in his last full season in 2022. Clarke Schmidt (lat) is scheduled for another bullpen session on Saturday. He is progressing but still is not expected back until mid to late August. Schmidt was having a breakout year before the injury (2.52 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 27% K, 8% BB, and 3.58 SIERA). Tanner Bibee left his started early on Wednesday with lower body cramping. He is considered day-to-day and is expected to make his next start. Bibee has been very good this year (3.50 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 21% K:BB). Ross Stripling (elbow) was activated off the 15-day on Thursday and started against the Angels (5.2 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, and 3 K). Jacob deGrom (elbow) threw a bullpen on Tuesday and Friday. The next step is for live batting practice and then a rehab assignment. He has reportedly been 94-95 mph with his fastball in these bullpens. Max Scherzer made his start on Thursday (6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, and 9 K) after experiencing arm fatigue in his previous start. Alex Wood is going to have season-ending shoulder surgery. He had been out since mid-May with rotator cuff tendonitis. Luis Medina is also going to have season-ending surgery (TJS) on August 6. Reese Olson was placed on the 15-day IL last Saturday but further testing revealed a mild shoulder strain which was better news than expected. Mike Clevinger was pulled off his rehab assignment on Monday. Matthew Boyd (elbow) will need at least one or two more rehab starts but he is a candidate to take the Guardians final spot in the rotation. Boyd is coming off Tommy John surgery but he offers back of the rotation potential for the Guardians. He had a 5.45 ERA and 1.32 WHIP (4.25 SIERA) with 24% K and 8% BB in 15 GS in 2023. The Guardians have a good track record of getting the most out of their starters so he is worth adding if you need starting pitching. Ryan Pepiot (knee) was placed on the 15-day IL on Monday but is expected to miss just the minimum. He spent 60 hours in the hospital due to an infection on his leg from a bug bite Justin Verlander (neck) is going to throw a bullpen session on Saturday. He is close to starting a rehab assignment. Jake Bloss is going to be the person losing their spot in the Astros rotation when he does return. Zach Eflin was traded to the Orioles for OF Matthew Etzel, RHP Jackson Baumeister, and UTIL Mac Horvath. Eflin has a 4.09 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 16% K:BB through 110 IP. The Red Sox picked up LHP James Paxton in a trade with the Dodgers. Paxton has struggled this year (4.43 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 4% K:BB) and his velocity is down (93.2 mph, -3 mph). Jeffrey Springs (elbow) is going to be activated on Tuesday according to manager Kevin Cash. He is going to take recently traded Zach Eflin's spot in the rotation.
In The Bullpen
Mason Miller was placed on the 15-day IL with a fractured left pinkie. This came as a result of non-baseball injury. Lucas Erceg and Tyler Ferguson are the next guys up for the Athletics. Erceg has a 3.68 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 26% K and 8% BB while Ferguson has a 3.97 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 28% K, and 11% BB. Both have picked up saves since Miller hit the IL. Brock Stewart was activated on Wednesday. He had a 1.126 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 32% K, and 13% BB before hitting the IL. The Blue Jays traded reliever Yimi Garcia to the Mariners. Garcia has been quite good this year (2.70 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 30% K:BB) but isn't going to be closing games in Seattle. Chad Green remains the closer while Jordan Romano is on the IL. The Orioles traded for Seranthony Dominguez to secure the back end of their bullpen. It is good timing because Craig Kimbrel has blown a save and suffered a loss in back-to-back appearances. He has been good this year (3.32 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 35% K) but he has blown six saves so his job is in jeopardy again. Yennier Cano is the most likely guy to get save chances if they decide to give Kimbrel a break but Dominguez could also work his way into those opportunities. Pete Fairbanks picked up two more saves this week and has solidified himself as the guy in Tampa Bay. They appear content with Fairbanks closing games instead of mixing and matching. Emmanuel Clase continues to be an elite closer by securing three saves and is now up to 32 on the year with elite ratios (0.74 ERA and 0.66 WHIP). Shelby Miller picked up a save for the Tigers on Thursday and is worth picking up because the Tigers are currently going with a committee to close games but one guy could run away with the job. Hunter Harvey has worked as the setup man for the Royals since getting traded but current closer James McArthur continues to be unimpressive. He blew another save this week and now has a 4.91 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. This is unacceptable for a team that is in playoff contention. Harvey's ERA isn't great (4.21) but his underlying skills (26% K, 7% BB, and 3.12 SIERA) are significantly better than McArthur's. The Angels traded closer Carlos Estevez to the Phillies which opens up the closers role for someone like Ben Joyce or Luis Garcia.
Players to add this week:
SP Matthew Boyd (CLE)- Matthew Boyd (elbow) will need at least one or two more rehab starts but he is a candidate to take the Guardians final spot in the rotation. Boyd is coming off Tommy John surgery but he offers back of the rotation potential for the Guardians. He had a 5.45 ERA and 1.32 WHIP (4.25 SIERA) with 24% K and 8% BB in 15 GS in 2023. The Guardians have a good track record of getting the most out of their starters so he is worth adding if you need starting pitching.
SP Yariel Rodriguez (TOR)- Yariel Rodriguez has a 3.60 ERA and 1.25 WHIP through 40 IP. He is missing bats (25% K) but has struggled with control at times (12% BB). Since coming off the IL he has gone 6.2, 6.0, 4.0, and 5.2 IP. He has stretched out enough to be a viable starter. Rodriguez has a five-pitch mix that allows him to keep hitters off balance. He does need to work on his offspeed pitches but he is fantasy-viable as is and has the potential to develop further with more innings under his belt.
RP Ben Joyce/Luis Garcia (LAA)-The Angels traded Carlos Estevez to the Phillies. Ben Joyce and Luis Garcia have been used as setup men for the Angels. Joyce has an overpowering fastball (101.8 mph). Garica has a 3.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 15% K:BB. The Angels could decide to keep the younger reliever cheaper by keeping him in the setup role.
OF Victor Robles (SEA)- Victor Robles is hitting .288 with 2 HR, 9 R, 6 RBI, and 12 SB. He has been on fire since joining the Mariners. In 27 GP for the Mariners, Robles is hitting .365 with 2 HR/8 SB. It has been fueled by a .439 BABIP but he hit the ball harder (20% Barrels) while maintaining an above-average contact rate (16% K). He is playing well and providing stolen bases.
OF Angel Martinez (CLE)- Angel Hernandez is batting second and playing across the outfield for the Guardians. He is hitting .256 with 2 HR, 9 R, 6 RBI, and 2 SB in 90 PA. He has plus plate skills (12% BB and 15% K). Martinez was hitting .316 with 5 HR, 20 R, 15 RBI, and 2 SB in 26 GP. He isn't going to be elite in any one category but he has value in deeper leagues due to his ability to hit for average and be a non-zero everywhere else.
RP Hunter Harvey (KCR)-Since being traded to the Royals Harvey has worked as the setup man but current closer James McArthur continues to be unimpressive. He blew another save this week and now has a 4.91 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. This is unacceptable for a team that is in playoff contention. Harvey's ERA isn't great (4.21) but his underlying skills (26% K, 7% BB, and 3.12 SIERA) are significantly better than McArthur's.
OF Lawrence Butler (OAK)-Lawrence Butler is hitting .251 with 11 HR, 29 R, 34 RBI, and 7 SB In 72 GP. He has a typical power hitter's profile with patience (10% BB), too many strikeouts (27% K), and a ton of hard contact (12% Barrels and 52% Hardhit). He is playing regularly and providing power and speed so he needs to be rostered across the board.
OF Colton Cowser (BAL)-Colton Cowser is back to playing every day for the Orioles. He is hitting .236 with 14 HR, 37 R, 43 RBI, and 7 SB in 95 GP. Cowser hits the ball extremely hard (14% Barrels and 48% Hardhit) but does struggle to make contact at times (29% K). He doesn't chase out of the zone (26% O-swing) which is a good thing but there is a clear flaw in his ability to make consistent contact. Cowser still has fantasy value because of his power and the overall strength of the Orioles lineup. Just know he isn't going to help in batting average.
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