Team-By-Team Notes
Wouldn’t you know it? The Tigers finally moved Yoenis Cespedes into the two hole ahead of Miguel Cabrera, where I’d been hoping he’d get a chance to hit all of this time, and it lasted all of two at-bats, as Cabrera suffered a DL injury for the first time in his illustrious career. Miggy is expected to miss six weeks with his strained calf, leaving the Tigers in quite a bind. They don’t have a real fallback beyond using Alex Avila at first and keeping James McCann behind the plate. McCann might be their best option at catcher anyway, but Avila isn’t going to hit like a first baseman.
The Tigers probably aren’t desperate enough to acquire Ryan Howard, and it’s unclear whether Mike Napoli and Michael Morse are available just yet, though the latter should be. Adam Lind would be nice; a left-handed bat to slide right in behind J.D. Martinez in the revamped order. Also, the Brewers have no reason not to sell. The Tigers can try to get by without a real first baseman, but I wouldn’t recommend it; they’re going to have to fight tooth and nail to make the postseason with this diminished squad. They don’t have a whole lot left to trade, but fortunately for them, none of the available stopgaps figure to cost all that much to acquire.
American League Notes
Baltimore: Kevin Gausman finally has his permanent rotation spot, with Bud Norris getting taken out of the mix for now. Norris did have a 3.81 ERA and a 21/6 K/BB ratio in June, but he still gave up seven homers in his five starts. Gausman should be an upgrade, but then, he might be an upgrade over everyone in the Orioles rotation if he pitches up to his ability. He’s worth the pickup in any mixed leagues in which he’s available. … Jonathan Schoop came off the disabled list on Saturday and should be given the chance to play regularly at second base, what with Ryan Flaherty having cooled off of late. One could argue for a platoon there, but the left-handed-hitting Flaherty has the same career OPS against righties and lefties and the right-handed-hitting Schoop has been much better against righties than lefties. That would seem to make it easier for Schoop and his superior glove to win him the job outright.
Boston: It’s probably around 60/40 that the Red Sox will activate Dustin Pedroia (hamstring) on Friday when he’s eligible to return. He’s just an AL-only option this week. … I’m disappointed the Red Sox didn’t give Jackie Bradley Jr. more of a look, but Alejandro De Aza has simply been too hot to sit. Right field has turned into a platoon with him starting against righties and Shane Victorino getting the nod against lefties. The team will also probably want to give Brock Holt some time there after Pedroia reclaims second base. … Allen Craig had a pretty good month of May after being sent down by the Red Sox, but he’s come in at .240/.368/.323 with just two homers in 96 at-bats for Triple-A Pawtucket since the beginning of June. That’s one reason why he’s not getting any mention as a first base option for the Tigers. If he ever does start to heat it up for a few weeks, it would make it easier for the Red Sox to trade Napoli.
Chicago: Fortunately for the White Sox, Jeff Samardzija has started to overcome the team’s poor defense and put some nice results on the board. His struggles were overblown in the first place, given that he’s in about as bad of a situation for pitchers as exists outside of Denver (making Chris Sale’s success even more incredible). Samardzija seems nearly certain to be traded, possibly before the All-Star break is over. His fantasy value could increase dramatically with a deal, so this wouldn’t be a bad time for fantasy leaguers to try to swing their own trades for him.
Cleveland: Francisco Lindor has started 18 games for the Indians, all of them batting second. He’s scored a total of four runs. I think Lindor is a fantastic prospect, and he is the Indians’ best option at shortstop. But he’s a No.8 or No. 9 hitter at this stage of his career, which was pretty obvious based on his Triple-A numbers. Plugging him into the two hole on day one was a costly miscue. … That 0.76 ERA through three starts is awfully nice, but I’m still not buying Cody Anderson as a mixed-league starter.
Detroit: Replacing Cabrera on Detroit’s roster was one-time Mets prospect Jefry Marte. Marte, a career third baseman, has little experience at first, though he’s certainly getting a crash course now (I’ll never understand why teams don’t insist that their minor leaguers get experience at multiple positions). Marte was hitting .271/.337/.497 with 13 homers in 288 at-bats for Triple-A Toledo, but that’s out of character for him; in three seasons in Double-A, he amassed a .704 OPS with 21 homers in 1,112 at-bats. It’s unlikely he’ll prove to be an acceptable stopgap.
Houston: The loss of George Springer to a fractured wrist was huge for Houston, since not only is he likely to miss six weeks, but there’s a good chance he won’t show his usual power after returning. The Astros are hoping Preston Tucker steps it up as their everyday right fielder with Springer out, but he’s hitting just .185 with two homers in 92 at-bats since the beginning of June. Like the Astros, I have some faith that Tucker will turn it around. However, if it doesn’t happen soon, Domingo Santana will probably get a look in that spot after the break. The Astros are also compensating for Springer’s absence by giving Evan Gattis some time in left, opening up at-bats for Jon Singleton. Gattis is a big defensive downgrade, so I’m not convinced it’s worth it. It doesn’t help matters that Singleton is just 3-for-19 with no homers and nine strikeouts since his callup June 26.
Kansas City: Yordano Ventura (hand) is expected to rejoin the Kansas City rotation on Thursday, displacing Joe Blanton. He’ll be facing the Rays, so there are worse options in mixed leagues. … Given that the Royals weren’t using Christian Colon at all, sending him down to Triple-A to play regularly for a few weeks made a lot of sense. That leaves Omar Infante with a bit more time to get his act together. If it doesn’t happen, turning second base over to Colon would be the right move.
Los Angeles: The Boston Globe reported that the Angels nearly picked up Ben Revere from the Phillies last month before talks fell through. It seems like only a matter of time until the club addresses its left field woes through a trade. The rehabbing Carl Crawford would make plenty of sense, assuming that the Dodgers swallow a big portion of his contract. The Angels might even try to bring in two bats, though they wouldn’t need to if C.J. Cron could put his bat on the ball more consistently. His huge game Saturday against the Rangers should win him more time at DH for now. His 30/2 K/BB ratio in 125 at-bats is pretty absurd, though. … Andrew Heaney wasn’t exactly setting the world ablaze with his 4.71 ERA in 14 Triple-A starts, so it’s been a really nice surprise how strong he’s looked as the replacement for Jered Weaver (hip) in the Angels rotation. It helps that he’s throwing a little harder than he did last year, which has also served to make his breaking ball more effective. If this keeps up, the Angels might be willing to demote Matt Shoemaker to the pen to keep Heaney in the rotation once Weaver returns after the break. I’m still rather skeptical of Heaney as a mixed-league pitcher, but he is in a nice situation in Anaheim and he might be able to provide fringe value going forward. His matchup against the Rockies at Coors Field this week certainly isn’t the best.
Minnesota: Ervin Santana. I didn’t think he was a top-100 starter pre-suspension, and I wouldn’t think he’d be one now, given that he’s not particularly good at racking up strikeouts or limiting homers. Plus, he’s back in the AL and pitching in front of a subpar defense. Of course, there is one thing working for him: that post-PED bump. Santana averaged 94.5 mph with his four-seamer Sunday, according to Brooks Baseball’s PITCHf/x tool. That’s a modest increase over where he came in last year. If it holds up, it’d be his best velocity since 2008. I don’t know that it will -- he got a lot of time off, and he was surely pretty pumped to back on a major league mound today -- but it’s worth watching. ... I’ve probably made this clear in my writings by now, but I don’t think Miguel Sano is ready to hit major league right-handers. And the Twins obviously didn’t bring him up from Double-A just to use him against lefties. My assumption is that Sano will prove useless in mixed leagues, but the power is there for him to prove me wrong.
New York: Jacoby Ellsbury (knee) sat out three of the first seven games of his rehab assignment and DH’d in two of the other four. Still, it sounds as though he’ll be activated within the next few days. Mixed leaguers might want to keep him reserved just in case. … Andrew Miller (forearm) could also return during the second half of the week. The Yankees haven’t yet had anything to say about whether Miller will get his closing gig back or if Dellin Betances will keep the job. I vote Betances, so as to better limit his workload, but I’m not sure which way manager Joe Girardi will go.
Oakland: By giving up six homers in 11 1/3 innings over the last month, Evan Scribner has probably ruined his chances of becoming Oakland’s closer if Tyler Clippard is traded. Still, no one else is making a great case, either. Edward Mujica has allowed two homers in 4 2/3 innings since coming off the DL. Eric O’Flaherty has a 2.00 WHIP over the last month. Drew Pomeranz has been effective, with just two runs allowed in 12 1/3 innings, but he’s walked nine during that span. Pomeranz is Oakland’s most talented reliever, but I still think he’s a long shot for saves. I imagine the A’s would prefer to see Mujica step it up, but Fernando Rodriguez is becoming a legitimate sleeper candidate for the job. … A Ben Zobrist trade is probably coming relatively soon, too, but it’s just not very interesting to talk about who might claim his at-bats. It’d sure be nice if the A’s picked up a major league-ready outfielder in one of their trades.
Seattle: Signs already pointed to Fernando Rodney being back in the closer’s role before he pitched a scoreless inning for a save Sunday against the A’s. He’ll probably remain shaky, but the Mariners are better off if he can take the ninth and Carson Smith can handle tougher situations in the seventh and eighth. … Hisashi Iwakuma (back) is finally coming off the DL to make two starts this week. Those starts are against the Tigers and Angels, but he’s probably worth using in mixed leagues anyway.
Tampa Bay: Matt Moore made his return from Tommy John surgery Thursday against the Indians, but he didn’t seem all of the way back. His fastball looked much like it did late in the 2013 season, when it was down about three MPH from his rookie campaign in 2012. He’ll still be able to put hitters away when he gets ahead in the count, but he’s going to struggle to get ahead with his mediocre command and merely average heater. I still don’t want to write him off in mixed leagues, since he is talented and he’s in a nice situation for pitchers, but my guess is that he won’t prove very useful this year. … The Rays are getting John Jaso (wrist) and Jake Odorizzi (ribs) back this week. Jaso will fit into the DH mix, taking playing time away from David DeJesus and perhaps the recently slumping Joey Butler (that’s assuming Steven Souza’s hand injury is no big deal and he avoids the DL). Since he still has his eligibility, he could have a little value as a No. 2 catcher in mixed leagues. Odorizzi, who starts Saturday against the Astros, can be slotted right into mixed-league rotations. It looks like Alex Colome will head to the pen to make room for him.
Texas: The Rangers activated Delino DeShields Jr. (hamstring) on Sunday, but they might be losing Josh Hamilton (groin) back to the disabled list. At this point, it seems like they’d just as soon be done with struggling center fielder Leonys Martin, and a healthy DeShields could get the opportunity to start over him. However, if Hamilton can’t play, Martin seems likely to keep his job for now, at least against righties. I don’t think they’d immediately return Joey Gallo to the majors in Hamilton’s place; Gallo has gone right back to playing third regularly in Triple-A, and he’s 2-for-17 since the demotion. What’s disappointing is that Michael Choice hasn’t emerged as an alternative. The former first-round pick is hitting just .248/.305/.391 in his third go at Triple-A, down from .302/.390/.445 in 2013 and .267/.379/.460 last year. … I’ll be rooting for Matt Harrison in his season debut Wednesday, but I’ll be doing it from a distance; I wouldn’t recommend using in him AL-only leagues.
Toronto: Felix Doubront will step into Toronto’s rotation in Matt Boyd’s place and face the White Sox and Royals this week. It makes him a tempting AL-only option, mostly because the Blue Jays offense is backing him. Mixed leaguers probably can’t take the ERA risk, though. … That upgrading the rotation has emerged as the Blue Jays’ priority in trade talks might bode well for young closer Roberto Osuna. I’ve been assuming that the Jays would trade for a veteran to replace him, and that’s still very much in play. However, they will feel a lot better about their pen if they can get a starter and then use Aaron Sanchez (lat) as a reliever once he comes off the DL.
National League Notes
Arizona: Patrick Corbin didn’t look like a guy who missed a year and a half when he beat the Rockies in his return from Tommy John surgery on Saturday. His velocity is right back to where it was in 2013, and command wasn’t an issue at all. It was impressive enough to make him worthy of a pickup in mixed leagues. It doesn’t hurt matters that his start this week is against a light-hitting Mets team.
Atlanta: At least until the cramps struck, Manny Banuelos’s major league debut went about as smoothly as could have been hoped, as he shut out the Nationals for 5 2/3 innings Thursday. When Banuelos emerged as a top prospect in the Yankees system, it was with a mid-90s fastball. In his major league debut, he was in the 89-92 mph range, though that was no surprise; his stuff simply never came all of the way back after Tommy John surgery. He still gets high marks for his feel for pitching. He disguises his changeup very well, though he does leave the pitch in bad spots too frequently. His curve is an average third pitch. I don’t think it’s an arsenal that’s likely to give him value in mixed leagues. Still, he’s done better than I thought he would this year.
Chicago: Jason Motte has three saves since Hector Rondon last had one. Of course, Rondon hasn’t done anything wrong. He hasn’t even allowed a hit in his last seven appearances. He hasn’t given up a run since June 12 or an earned run since May 22. No manager in the league other than Joe Maddon would have pulled him from the closer’s role. That’s not really a criticism of Maddon, who views the ninth a bit differently than other managers. However, it’s going to be tough to ever draft a Cubs closer again. … I wonder how much patience the Cubs will have with Jorge Soler, considering that he didn’t play very well in the month before he got hurt and he went 2-for-13 on his rehab assignment. I certainly wouldn’t give up on Soler in mixed leagues before the Cubs do, but it’d be nice to see him get off to a hot start here to secure his spot in the lineup.
Cincinnati: The Reds are still waiting until after they host the All-Star Game to sell. It’ll be interesting to see if they end up giving Johnny Cueto his two starts this week, given his touchy elbow and the likelihood of a trade. He’s slated to pitch Tuesday and Sunday, but the Reds should probably exercise caution and use him just the once. Of course, fantasy leaguers should pitch him regardless. … Top prospect Robert Stephenson finally moved up to Triple-A last week after a 44 starts in Double-A. He had struck out 89 in 78 1/3 innings for Pensacola this year, but he had also walked 43 in the process. He just doesn’t command his fastball well enough yet. Ideally, he’d spend the rest of the year in the International League, honing his craft. The Reds will need rotation replacements, but Stephenson isn’t ready.
Colorado: 2013 first-round pick Jon Gray still isn’t dominating in Triple-A, but he does have a solid 3.47 ERA and a 59/23 K/BB ratio in 72 2/3 innings since the beginning of May. He’s had two nine-strikeout games and an eight-strikeout game in his last four starts. With a couple of more fine outings, it seems likely that he’ll debut for the Rockies not long after the All-Star break. I don’t expect that he’ll possess mixed-league value at any point during the season. … The Rockies finally brought back Drew Stubbs after a month and a half in the minors. He should start taking time away from Brandon Barnes with still no return date in sight for Corey Dickerson (foot). If Stubbs can get hot for a few weeks, he’ll almost certainly be traded to a team that could use a right-handed-hitting outfielder. The Rangers probably top that list right now.
Los Angeles: Looking for an extra starter Monday, the Dodgers weren’t ready to turn to Brandon Beachy. Beachy, though, is making a case for a rotation spot after the break as he continues his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He’s allowed two runs over 12 2/3 innings so far in his rehab assignment, though he does have just a 7/8 K/BB ratio in his four starts. Odds are that he’ll get a look after his remaining three minor league starts, but that could hinge on whether the Dodgers acquire another starting pitcher before then. … It no longer sounds like Crawford (oblique) will come off the disabled list prior to the All-Star break.
Miami: On the one hand, 10 days in the minors might be best for Marcell Ozuna at this point. On the other hand, the Marlins would only seem to be worse off with him gone. Ichiro has been in an even deeper slump than Ozuna, and the Marlins lose range in the outfield whether it’s Ichiro or Christian Yelich in center. Jordany Valdespin is not much of a center field option; he’d been playing second base and the outfield corners in Triple-A. Plus, he was hitting a pretty modest .287/.342/.378. He should get some starts against righties in the outfield corners, but he’s just an NL-only guy. As for Ozuna, while he’s been in the midst of a season-long power outage, he was hitting .280 with a .333 OBP just 10 games ago. Sending him down to get his confidence back is fine. I just hope he’s back immediately after the All-Star break. … With Ozuna down, the Marlins could also use the returning Morse in the outfield some now, though that further weakens the defense. Justin Bour’s huge week ensures that he’ll remain in the lineup for a while longer, so it’s left field or bust for Morse right now. … Is Mat Latos still lingering out there in free agency in any mixed leagues? He shouldn’t be with the way he’s throwing.
Milwaukee: It’s becoming more and more likely that Carlos Gomez’s Brewers career is coming to an end. Whether that’s good for Gomez’s fantasy value is an open question. He could find himself in a better lineup elsewhere, but Miller Park has been very good to him these last few years. A lot of it will come down to whether he starts running again, but that’s true even if he stays in Milwaukee. He’s just 7-for-12 stealing bases after going 34-for-46 last year and 40-for-47 in 2013. It’d be great to see Gomez in Texas, and the Rangers could really use him with all of their issues against lefties. … Khris Davis (knee) could come off the disabled list prior to Monday’s game. Still, with six games against the Braves and Dodgers, he can be kept reserved in mixed leagues.
New York: The calls for 2014 first-round pick Michael Conforto are getting louder with the Mets in a lengthy offensive slump. Certainly, Conforto has progressed more quickly than anyone would have expected; he’s currently hitting .325/.409/.508 with three homers in 120 at-bats for Double-A Binghamton. If the Mets did give Conforto the call, it’d essentially mean giving up on Michael Cuddyer as a full-time player; a left-field platoon with Conforto starting against righties and Cuddyer against lefties would be the obvious alignment. I’m sure the Mets would prefer to see Cuddyer get hot and start justifying that two-year, $21 million contract, allowing them to leave Conforto in the minors. Since Conforto has no speed and only modest home run power right now, I think it’d be a reach to stash him in mixed leagues. … Travis d’Arnaud (elbow) appears unlikely to come off the disabled list prior to the All-Star break.
Philadelphia: Revere is the Phillies’ best option in left field, center field and right field, which is why it was so stunning to see him spending this much time on the bench since interim manager Pete Mackanin took over. Apparently, it’s partly the result of a hamstring injury the Phillies have been covering up (for competitive reasons???). Still, the sooner Revere is gone from Philly, the better for everyone. … Carlos Ruiz is also taking a backseat in Philadelphia, which can’t be doing wonders for his trade value. He’s making $8.5 million this year and $8.5 million next year, so the Phillies are going to have to pick up part of his salary to move him anyway. Even with his game in decline, one would think a number of contenders would like him as a part-timer or a backup. … Cesar Hernandez is playing out of his mind, which will make things interesting once Chase Utley (ankle) comes off the disabled list. Obviously, Hernandez has some mixed-league value if he keeps running like this (10 steals in the last month). However, he’s not this good of a hitter, and he doesn’t have nearly this strong of a track record on the bases, either. Prior to June 10, he was 2-for-8 stealing bases in 149 major league games. He did have three 30-steal seasons in the minors.
Pittsburgh: It’s going to be a tough call on starting Starling Marte this week after he left Sunday’s game with discomfort in his right side. That often turns into an oblique strain. Barring new info before the lineup deadline, it’s probably best to bench him.
St. Louis: Here comes Tommy Pham. After missing the first couple of months with a strained quad, he hit .338/.402/.625 with five homers in 80 at-bats for Triple-A Memphis. Now he’s in the majors with Jon Jay (wrist) back on the disabled list, and he’s homered and doubled twice in his first three games. The Cardinals are probably getting Matt Holliday (quad) back sometime this week, so it looks like they’ll have to start picking between Pham, Randall Grichuk and Peter Bourjos in center each day. Grichuk might win out, but he’s suddenly hit the wall this last week. I suspect that Pham is currently the better player anyway. Still, it could wind up that neither is worth using in mixed leagues since there won’t be quite enough at-bats to go around. … Jaime Garcia’s strained groin put him on the DL on Sunday, though he’s expected back right after the All-Star break. The Cards will start both Tim Cooney and Tyler Lyons this week, with one of the two probably getting a second start Sunday. Both are worthy plays in NL-only leagues, but I feel a bit better about Cooney.
San Diego: Jedd Gyorko hit so well in his first few games back from Triple-A that the Padres had him bat cleanup against a right-hander on Sunday. Ideally, that would never happen again. I do think Gyorko is a better player than the injured Cory Spangenberg (knee), but that doesn’t mean I think he’s good. He still rates as a weak play in mixed leagues, unless the Padres really insist on letting him clean up most of the time. … Derek Norris plans to play through his shoulder injury, but it doesn’t bode well for his bat, which hasn’t been nearly as potent lately as it was early in the season. Those using him in one-catcher mixed leagues could try aiming for an upgrade.
San Francisco: While Jake Peavy’s velocity was just fine in his return from the DL last week, Matt Cain wasn’t quite there yet. It doesn’t mean Cain is doomed, but he’s not going to be able to get away with missing his spots like he did in the loss to the Marlins. Both Cain and Peavy get home starts against the Mets this week, making them decent plays in mixed leagues. I’m still a bit more confident in Cain than in Peavy, but Peavy’s first outing back was more encouraging. … It was always likely that Santiago Casilla would need a break at some point, and he’s getting one now because of some arm fatigue. It sounds like he will pitch some this week, if probably not on back-to-back days. Sergio Romo is a short-term grab in mixed leagues with Casilla’s status a bit up in the air. … Hunter Pence (forearm) might have moved up the timetable for his return from the DL with his showing in workouts Sunday. He’s a very risky play in mixed leagues this week, but it sounds like he could be back Tuesday.
Washington: Stephen Strasburg seemed to have worked through all of his problems, only to go down with a left oblique strain Saturday (of course, the Nationals waited until after the game was over just to say it was “side tightness” and didn’t admit what everyone already knew until Sunday). So, Strasburg will probably miss the rest of the month, forcing the Nationals to decide between Tanner Roark and Joe Ross to occupy his rotation spot. Ross certainly looked like the better pitcher while filling in last month, and he’s the one of the two worth using in mixed leagues if he gets the nod. … It’s pretty awesome to see Clint Robinson hitting .306 with four homers and more walks (11) than strikeouts (10) in 72 at-bats over the last month. Maybe a healthy Ryan Zimmerman (foot) will be a better player than he was during the first two months of the season, but the Nationals would be crazy to let him rush back. … Anthony Rendon (quad) appears likely to come off the DL immediately after the break.
