Welcome back. Some player notes before we get into it: Jurickson Profar will likely stay with the club after Ian Kinsler returns. Domonic Brown has been unconscious at the plate. Justin Masterson struggles against lefties.Yasiel Puig can really play. Yoenis Cespedes is turning things around and any pitcher that starts against the Astros is probably a solid play. Below I’ll explain the Biogenesis story but some other names who could potentially face suspension are: Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera, Francisco Cervelli, and Jesus Montero. Here’s what else I saw in fantasy baseball yesterday. All ownership percentages are from Yahoo!
Struggling Stars:
Ryan Braun (99%): 1-5. ESPN reporter TJ. Quinn reports that MLB is preparing to suspend Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, and about 20 others for the Biogenesis mess earlier this summer. Biogensis founder Tony Bosch is prepared to testify against all the players connected with his clinic. These suspensions could come in the next two weeks and could be 100 games. Be prepared for the worst. Panic Meter: Nuclear War
Starlin Castro (96%): 0-4. Castro was dropped to 7th in the lineup, sporting a line of .169/.222/.203 for the last 14 games. He’s been pretty average all year, not even providing the stolen bases we’re used to seeing. In 56 games he’s struck out 40 times, and is currently being out played by Yunel Escobar, yikes. He should probably be traded. Panic Meter: High
Jason Heyward (91%): 2-4, R, BB. After hitting a HR the day before, Heyward followed that up with a 2-4 day against the fairly solid Jeff Locke. He was 0-19 before the HR but maybe this is the start of something. I said last week that I suspect this is more of a health/conditioning problem than a baseball one. Panic Meter: Improving
Waiver Help:
Daniel Nava (56%): 3-4, 4 R, RBI, BB. Nava is currently ranked 74th overall for the season and in the last 14 days he’s hitting .319 with 8 Rs, 2 Hrs, and 10 RBIs. His strikeout to walk ratio of 37 K/ 26 BB is not great but not terrible either. If he’s available on your waiver wire I would scoop him up. If you’re in a deeper mixed league, I might consider selling high depending on your pitching situation.
Luke Gregerson (39%): DNP. Gregerson will handle the closer duties in San Diego while Huston Street is on the disabled list. Gregerson has been a solid, consistent pitcher in his career and considering Street’s injury history, it seems likely that Luke will keep the closer job for awhile.
Ryan Doumit (35%): 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB. After a slow start, Doumit is ranked 90th overall in the last 30 days, batting .253 with 7 HRs during that time. In his last seven games, he’s batting .323 with 3 HRs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 13 RBIs. Because the Twins rotate him into the outfield he should see regular at bats every day. Catcher has been a messy position this year but Doumit and my next guy may be able to help out.
Jason Castro (29%): 0-3, BB. I had to triple check these numbers but did you know Castro is currently the 10th ranked catcher overall and is ahead of guys like Matt Wieters, Jonathan Lucroy, Brian McCann, Salvador Perez, Victor Martinez, and others? In the last 30 days he has a .295 average with 13 R, 5 Hrs, 10 RBIs, and 10 BB. And in the last two weeks he’s been the 4th best catcher overall hitting .395 with 3 HRs. Not bad for an Astro.
Didi Gregorius (28%): 2-6, R. With Asdrubal Cabrera going on the disabled list, you may be in need of a shortstop. Gregorius has been solid all season, maintaining a .313 average in 137 at bats. He hasn’t been providing a lot else but he can be helpful if your league counts doubles and will keep you in contention until Cabrera comes back.
Yan Gomes (16%): DNP. Jason Giambi started at DH last night with the short right field fence in Yankee stadium, but Gomes looks like he’ll receive most of the at bats going forward. In the last 30 days he’s maintained a .333 average with 4 doubles, 3 HRs, and 12 RBIs. He rotates between catcher, third, and DH, spelling Carlos Santana and giving the Indians a break from Mark Reynold’s defense. If we’re to believe the Indians are going to be sellers at the deadline that could open up even more playing time for Gomes.
Willie Bloomquist (1%): 4-6, 2 R. The Diamondbacks activated Bloomquist from the disabled list last Friday and in 3 games he’s gone 9-14 with 4 Rs and 2 doubles. He’s being used in a utility role but with Aaron Hill and Eric Chavez out he should see plenty of at bats.
The Young Guns:
Anthony Rendon (9%): Farewell, Danny Espinosa. The Nationals called up Rendon last night, much sooner than I expected. His bat has high upside but don’t be too eager to drop your quality players for him.
Dylan Bundy (5%): Bundy will begin a throwing program on June 10th and if all goes well, he could be pitching again soon. It’s been pointed out that the starting pitching market could be thin at the deadline, especially for the Orioles who are unwilling to part with any of their young arms. The dry market could give Bundy a chance to pitch in the majors this year, it just depends if he can come back healthy and prove it. I think we’re still a month away at least.
Mike Zunino (2%): Zunino is expected to remain with Triple-A Tacoma until he figures out how to hit a breaking ball. That could take all year, as his average has dropped to .220. No shame in it, he just needs more time.
Francisco Lindor (1%): Along with Miguel Sano and Xander Bogaerts, Lindor has a high upside bat with shortstop eligibility. Sano is a third basemen but currently holds SS eligibility as well. There’s lots of talk that the Indians could sell off a lot of their players at the deadline, including Asdrubal Cabrera. If Cabrera is traded, it’s hard to see Lindor making the jump this year from Class A ball. If he gets promoted in the next few weeks then something might be brewing. Also keep in mind with more teams competing for playoff spots, we may have to get used to a thinner trade market, so Cabrera’s departure is not certain.
The Walking Wounded:
Hanley Ramirez was activated from the disabled list.
Giancarlo Stanton started a rehab assignment on Tuesday
Will Middlebrooks started a rehab assignment on Tuesday.
Bryce Harper is hoping to be back by the end of the week.
Austin Jackson best case scenario has him returning late next week.
Corey Hart could start a rehab assignment next week.
Huston Street is out for a minimum of two weeks and will then be reevaluated.
David Price is hoping to be back by the end of June.
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