Stanton Gettin' Started
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton batted just .167 with a .575 OPS, no home runs and 12 strikeouts over his first 38 plate appearances this season and then sat out six straight games because of a left shoulder contusion. That would have been the time to buy low on him in fantasy leagues because the 23-year-old right fielder has been on an absolute tear since returning.
Stanton went 3-for-3 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored in the Marlins’ defeat of the Cubs on Sunday afternoon and is now batting .300/.378/.550 in 45 plate appearances since coming back from his shoulder bruise. He has three homers and nine RBI in 19 total games this season.
Keep in mind that Stanton didn’t hit his first home run last year until April 29. He went on to bat .290/.361/.608 with 37 bombs and 86 RBI.
Rockies Turn Third Base Over To Arenado
If all goes according to plan, Nolan Arenado will be the Rockies’ starting third baseman for the next several seasons. The young prospect was officially called up to Colorado on Sunday morning and made his major league debut on Sunday afternoon against the Diamondbacks, going 0-for-3 with a walk. He was batting .364/.392/.667 with three home runs, 11 doubles and 21 RBI in 18 games at the Triple-A level at the time of his promotion.
The 22-year-old former second-round pick is worth a stash in most standard mixed fantasy leagues and can be plugged in as a starter right away in some deeper formats. He has good power, good plate discipline, and was brought along carefully through the Rockies’ farm system.
The Rox designated Chris Nelson for assignment Sunday when they officially added Arenado to the active roster, which says all you really need to know about the confidence they have in the kid. Nelson had started 19 of Colorado’s first 24 games at third base.
Straily Getting Spot Start, Maybe More
On a majority of major league teams, right-hander Dan Straily would be locked into a starting rotation spot. But he’s having to fight for chances this season in Oakland because of the logjam of young, talented arms in that organization.
Straily is scheduled to make a spot start on Monday night against the Angels in place of Brett Anderson (ankle) and could be kept around if it goes well. Jarrod Parker, who has an ugly 8.10 ERA and 2.14 WHIP in 23 1/3 innings this season, may be a candidate for demotion. Straily struck out 11 batters in a spot start earlier this year and owns a 0.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 20/6 K/BB ratio in 18 2/3 frames this season at the Triple-A level. Grab him off the waiver wire if he’s still around.
National League Quick Hits: Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw tallied a season-high 12 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings in Sunday’s defeat of the Brewers ... Reds youngster Tony Cingrani went six scoreless innings Sunday against the Nationals and now has a 1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 28/4 K/BB ratio in 18 innings since his promotion to the major leagues ... Brian McCann (shoulder) is expected to return from the disabled list in the next 7-10 days ... Chase Headley hit two doubles and a home run in the Padres’ win over the Giants on Sunday ... Pirates catcher Russell Martin slugged two home runs in the Pirates’ rout of the Cardinals on Sunday at Busch Stadium ... Reds outfielder Chris Heisey will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a hamstring strain ... Troy Tulowitzki is day-to-day with a left shoulder strain ... Dodgers closer Brandon League earned his eighth save of the year in Sunday’s win against the Brewers ... The Diamondbacks activated Jason Kubel (quad) from the disabled list on Sunday morning ... Jason Motte (elbow) played catch from about 50 feet on Sunday ... Dodgers prospect Yasiel Puig was arrested for reckless driving this weekend in Chattanooga, Tennessee ... Marco Scutaro could be in and out of the Giants’ starting lineup this week due to lingering back soreness ... The Diamondbacks placed young shortstop Didi Gregorius on the 7-day concussion disabled list.
American League Quick Hits: A’s outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (hand) went 2-for-5 with a home run Sunday in his first game off the disabled list ... Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is scheduled to have an MRI on his sore neck and back this week ... David Ortiz finished 2-for-4 on Sunday against the Astros and boasts a .516/.529/.871 batting line in eight games since returning from the disabled list ... Phil Hughes struck out nine over six strong innings in the Yankees’ win over the Blue Jays on Sunday ... The Orioles acquired catcher Chris Snyder from the Angels for right-hander Rob Delaney ... A’s shortstop Jed Lowrie is day-to-day with a neck strain ... Erick Aybar (heel) is expected to return from the disabled list on Tuesday ... Nate McLouth stayed hot Sunday, scoring four runs in the Orioles’ loss to the A’s ... Michael Morse snapped out of a minor slump on Sunday, belting his seventh home run of the season as the Mariners defeated the Angels ... Hisashi Iwakuma allowed just one unearned run over six innings Sunday against the Angels, lowering his season ERA to 1.67 ... Ben Zobrist finished 3-for-5 with two RBI in the Rays’ win over the White Sox on Sunday ... Twins right-hander Kevin Correia went eight scoreless innings Sunday against the Rangers, moving to 3-1 with a 2.23 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through five starts ... John Lackey earned his first win since 2011 after throwing six innings of one-run ball Sunday versus the Astros ... White Sox left-hander John Danks (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Thursday.
