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| Tuesday, June 14, 2022 |
| Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a bittersweet night of action for Atlanta Braves fans as on one hand they were victorious -- their 12th straight win -- but on the other they lost one of their best hitters to a bad luck injury. So let's start right there with the Ozzie Albies injury. Albies appears to have suffered a fractured foot based on the early reports after fouling a baseball off of it. The collective expectation thus far is that Albies will be sidelined for at least eight weeks -- and that could be on the optimistic side of things. The reality is we might not see Albies until closer to September. |
| So what should you do now if you roster Albies and don't have any viable replacement on your bench? You might want to look into a buy low trade proposal targeting a player like Jonathan India. While India is returning from a back injury, his price tag might not be lower than it is now -- of course any injury-riddled player comes with risk. Brendan Rodgers might be an interesting option as a buy high candidate -- his hot streak is starting to look more like it's here to stay. |
| Here are a few other targets ranked from shallower to deeper leagues in terms of roster percentage: Santiago Espinal (63% rostered), Byrston Stott (52%), Luis Garcia (26%) and Ezequiel Duran (24%). All in all, it's not the worst time to need help in the middle infield. The talent is deeper than ever, and I can see a case being made even for Garcia or Duran as worthy replacements. |
| We'll dive into all of the action from the Monday below, but first make sure you're all caught up with everything going on from the Fantasy Baseball Today team over at CBSSports.com/Fantasy/Baseball. Scott White wrote more about Stott (Albies managers take notice) and other players worth targeting in his waiver wire column you can find here . Chris Towers looked at recent injuries at the pitcher position and ranked his top IL stashes -- you'll find that here. |
| And of course, as always, you can follow to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify. |
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| Yuuuu crank that Darvish |
| Very few pitchers are as locked in as Padres SP Yu Darvish has been these last seven starts and that continued into Monday night. Darvish shut down the Cubs through eight innings of one-run ball. He allowed just five total hits and didn't walk a single batter. When Darvish has been his most dominant self at times over the last several years it has been because he's in command -- very few free passes. That version of Darvish appears to be back. He also struck out seven and delivered 17 swing-and-miss strikes. |
| If you take away the one start where Darvish allowed nine earned runs, he has a 2.34 ERA over his other 11 starts and the walks are way down from last season. Darvish has now gone at least seven innings in five of his past seven starts. |
| Lynn gets lit.. lit up that is |
| Saying something is lit is apparently a good thing these days which just goes to show how old I am -- and feel -- but the version of lit that Lance Lynn got on Monday night was certainly not a good thing. After a rocky set of three rehab starts where Lynn compiled a 9.00 ERA, he struggled mightily in his 2022 MLB debut. Lynn lasted just 4 1/3 innings despite drawing a cushy first start against the Tigers. Detroit tagged him for 10 hits and three earned runs. |
| On the positive side of things, Lynn didn't walk a batter and struck out four. On the negative side of things, he saw his four-seam fastball velocity down 1.4 MPH from last season. And on the surprising side of things, Lynn fired his slider eight times -- the last time he used that pitch with any kind of consistency was the 2015 season. |
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| Swerve into this lane ASAP |
| It's time to take serious notice of Lane Thomas as he continues to stay red hot with the bat. Thomas went 2 for 4 on Monday night and clocked his seventh homer of the season. After a slow start, Thomas has been one of baseball's hottest hitters thus far in June. He has racked up a .395 batting average, three doubles and four hours -- a whopping 1.202 OPS. He has made serious strides as well and is now striking out a lot less while delivering more hard hit balls. Thomas is just 23% rostered right now and worth scooping. |
| League offense up in June |
| The warmer weather continues to bring hotter bats. In June, the league batting average, OPS and HR/FB ratios are all higher than they've been in any month this season. What does this mean for your Fantasy Baseball team? You're going to need more hitting and more offense overall to stay afloat in category leagues. It also means you might begin to see some regression from your red-hot pitching staff, especially from those fly ball pitchers and others who pitch to contact. Those are the types of pitchers you might want to look to sell high or try and trade no matter what their current value is. |
| Hitters who are coming around in June |
| Nelson Cruz is finally starting to flash some vintage Cruz. In June, he's batting .405 with three homers and three doubles.Bryan Reynolds has been a major disappointment this season, but in June he's batting .395 with three homers and a stolen base.Kyle Schwarber is rocking the ball in June so far with a .318 batting average, five homers and four doubles. |
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| News and lineup notes |
| Every night the Fantasy Baseball Today team dives into all of the happenings around the MLB from top performers to injuries, trades and more. The podcast is a must listen for any diehard, if I do say so myself. Tune in to the podcast to hear the FBT crew expand on the news and notes below. |
| Juan Soto was pulled in the ninth inning as a precaution after bumping his knee on the bench.Liam Hendriks played catch pregame Monday as he works through arm stiffness. It sounds like he wasn't available because of the injury. Jonathan India was activated on Monday, though he wasn't in the Reds lineup.Wander Franco began agility work Monday. He's on the IL with a quad injury. Matt Chapman took part in batting practice Monday and is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday. Josiah Gray was scratched from his start Monday due an extended rain delay. The team started Erasmo Ramirez instead. Michael Kopech is feeling a lot better after getting fluid drained from behind his knee. He was cleared of structural damage, though we still don't know if he will make his next start this weekend. Jorge Polanco was out of the lineup Monday as he manages back soreness. Jake Burger was removed Monday after getting hit by a pitch on his right hand.Joe Ryan will return and start Tuesday against the Mariners. Yasmani Grandal was placed on the IL with lower back spasms.Jesus Luzardo threw long toss off flat ground Monday, his first time throwing a ball since landing on the IL May 15. Stephen Strasburg was placed back on the IL after experiencing discomfort following a bullpen session. Josh Donaldson's suspension appeal was denied and he will serve the one-game ban Tuesday against the Rays. Avisail Garcia's MRI on his left hand did not reveal any structural damage. He was scratched Sunday due to mild inflammation. Jakob Junis is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks due to a grade 2 left hamstring strain. Leody Taveras was recalled by the Rangers. He was batting .294 with seven homers and seven steals in 49 Triple-A games this year. Any interest in deeper category leagues? |
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