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Monday, August 8, 2022
Happy Monday, everyone! It's a new week in Fantasy Baseball and we're nearing the stretch run of your Fantasy seasons -- playoffs for those in H2H and the grind to get a few more points through each day in Roto. It's also the stretch run for these teams trying to make a postseason push and set themselves up for a deep run. So we have to show the West Coast some love by talking about the Los Angeles Dodgers' impressive series sweep over the revamped San Diego Padres -- with Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Josh Hader and all. The Dodgers closed out the sweep with Sunday's 4-0 shutout.
But now that I've given the Dodgers their due, let's not bury the lede here! The lede being Jacob deGrom and his first home start at Citi Field in 13 months. It was the old, tried and true, absolutely filthy-level deGrom on Sunday against the Braves. He retired the first 17 Braves batters he faced and struck out 12 of them. Yup -- that's right -- 12 strikeouts. 
In fact, deGrom made history with 1,518 strikeouts -- the most ever for a pitcher in his first 200 major league starts. He finished with five more to bring his total to 1,523 and drew a swing and miss on 18 out of the 33 nasty sliders he threw. He took the perfect game all the way into the sixth inning despite finishing with two earned runs allowed. He had 12 strikeouts and 25 induced swinging strikes on a total of 76 pitches. The slider velocity was up 1.8 mph in this start.
Listening to both Scott and Chris on the podcast, it seems as if they're stance hasn't changed much -- now might be an even better opportunity to sell high. The issue is not at all whether or not deGrom can keep up this level of dominance. He's proven that's no issue. It's all about how long he can do it, and that's where our experts are lacking confidence. And it's hard to blame them. But for now, enjoy the ride.
Below, we'll break down some other key takeaways from the weekend's action. But first, make sure you're caught up with everything going on over at CBSSports.com/Fantasy. Scott White's Week 19 preview features 10 sleeper hitters you should get into your lineups before the first pitch of Monday's games and you can find that here. You can also find Scott's 10 sleeper pitchers for this week here . And of course, his two-start pitcher rankings -- always a favorite of mine as I'm always looking for that H2H strikeout edge. You'll find that here.
Cabrera and other waiver wire pitchers to consider
Edward Cabrera looked primed for a breakout early in the season before an injury, but maybe he's now back for a stretch run to remember? He tossed five no-hit innings with eight strikeouts in his return to the mound against the Cubs despite walking three. The stuff was pretty electric with 17 induced swinging strikes through just 78 pitches. He's 50% rostered.
Reid Detmers is another name to consider scooping up off the wire if he's still there. He threw another seven strong innings, allowing just one run, one walk and striking out seven. His slider has been excellent as of late and the usage is way up in addition to the velocity (up 2.4 mph). The dude has a 1.16 ERA and 0.94 WHIP since returning to the rotation and yet he is still just 70% rostered.
George Kirby also makes sense as a sneaky add after he put in his first quality start since July 2. Kirby threw six innings of one-run ball and didn't walk a batter. He now has a 3.40 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and 81 strikeouts over 79 1/3 innings to go with it. He's 68% rostered.
Kyle Gibson's season-long ERA isn't anything to jump for joy for at 4.36 overall, but he was excellent in his latest start, allowing just two hits and one run through eight innings and he now has a quality start in four of his last five games. He is 65% rostered.
Who's hot
MJ Melendez is getting red-hot even after the return of Salvador Perez -- and maybe that's a good thing for him. Melendez is seeing plenty of playing time in the outfield and now he actually has some lineup help around him with Perez. He's 70% rostered and has seven games this week. He collected three homers and six hits over his past four games!
Who's not
He might be 93% rostered, and on one of the best teams in baseball (at least on paper), but Sean Manaea has been ice cold as of late. On Friday, the Dodgers beat him up for eight earned runs and 10 hits through just four innings. Over his last nine starts, Manea has a 6.60 ERA with a 1.69 WHIP. Yikes.
Fantasy news, injuries and notes
For a complete recap of every injury, update and more make sure you're locked into the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast where Frank, Scott and Chris dive deep into every player note. For the CliffsNotes version, we'll recap the biggest news and notes you need to know right here:
  • Fernando Tatis began a rehab assignment Saturday with Double-A and went 0-2 with two walks. Padres manager Bob Melvin said they're targeting mid-August for Tatis' return. 
  • Mike Trout took dry swings Saturday and had no issues. He's dealing with that rare back condition and has been out since before the All-Star break.
  • Alex Kirilloff is scheduled to undergo season-ending ulnar shortening surgery on his right wrist Tuesday. It's the second major procedure he'll have on that wrist at just 24 years old. 
  • Tyler Stephenson isn't expected to return this season after undergoing surgery to stabilize his fractured right collarbone. 
  • Tim Anderson started his two-game suspension Sunday and will also miss one of the doubleheader games on Tuesday.
  • Mitch Haniger was activated from the 60-day IL Saturday and went 1-3 with a double and a walk.
  • The D-Backs will go closer by committee moving forward.
  • Tyler Glasnow threw a bullpen session Saturday and was deemed fully healthy, reaching 98 MPH with his fastball. However, he will not pitch in a game this season. He's 29% rostered and a sneaky add in keeper leagues.
  • Trevor Rogers began a rehab assignment at Double-A Sunday.
  • Justin Turner is on track to return Tuesday. What does that mean for Miguel Vargas?
  • Travis d'Arnaud left Saturday's game with a leg injury and was seen wearing a protective walking boot on Sunday. He's not expected to return until Friday, which means you should find an alternate plan this week.
  • Ian Anderson was optioned to Triple-A Sunday but is expected to return next weekend for a doubleheader.
  • Aaron Civale is scheduled to return and start Wednesday against the Tigers. He's 33% rostered.
  • Franmil Reyes was officially designated for assignment by the Guardians on Saturday.
  • Juan Yepez is starting a rehab assignment Tuesday.
  • Roansy Contreras recorded nine strikeouts over four innings at Triple-A Friday. He's 29% rostered.
  • Rangers third base prospect Josh Jung is also picking up starts at first base while rehabbing in the Arizona Complex League. 
  • Clayton Kershaw was sent to the IL with lower back pain. He received an epidural injection on Friday. Looking to add Dodgers pitching prospect Ryan Pepiot? He's 11% rostered.
  • George Springer was sent to the IL with right elbow inflammation.
  • Hunter Greene was sent to the IL with a right shoulder strain.
 
 
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