| | | | Tuesday, June 1, 2021 | | And just like that, it's June! We're one-third into the Fantasy Baseball season and at this point, you should have a fair assessment of your team. If you're dominant in pitching but lacking in home runs, don't be afraid to trade from a position of strength to improve a weakness. It might seem rudimentary, but remember, you only have to win a category by one strikeout or one win, you don't need to win by 20. | | Monday was filled with a ton of action as always, but it was the middle infielders that really stood out to me. Amed Rosario went 3 for 7 across Cleveland's doubleheader and wrapped up May with a .307 batting average, one home run, three doubles, three triples, and four steals. He's only 20% rostered but is somebody that could provide speed if you need it in a category league. The other standout was Gavin Lux, who added two more home runs and finishes May batting .286 with five homers and 19 RBI. He still has his struggles against lefties but I've been impressed with his combination of plate discipline and power during this stretch. The breakout might be happening. | | Of course, you can subscribe to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify. | | | | Urquidy impressive in his return | | | | Astros SP Jose Urquidy was incredibly impressive in his return to the mound from the IL against the Red Sox on Monday. He went six innings and allowed just three hits, one walk and one earned run. He also delivered nine strikeouts with 15 swinging strikes on just 87 pitches (10 came on his fastball, which was up to 93.5 mph). Maybe we've all been sleeping on Urquidy, who now has a 3.02 ERA and 0.99 WHIP on the season. | | Urquidy has a unique Fantasy profile since he doesn't rack up a lot of strikeouts but has near-elite control. Chris is a big believer in him moving forward and sees him as a SP who should be 100% rostered and borderline a must-start option. Urquidy has a 3.36 career ERA and has consistently outperformed his peripheral numbers. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he doesn't allow hitters to make strong contact often. | | | | More news and notes | | According to Jeff Passan, Royals SS Adalberto Mondesi left Monday's game after he felt a slight tweak in his hamstring. The removal was precautionary, and hopes are that it is nothing serious. He has been mashing the ball since making his debut off the IL. Cardinals SP Jack Flaherty left Monday's start due to tightness in his left side. Yankees SP Luis Severino is expected to begin a rehab assignment this Sunday. We could see him by late June. He's 67% rostered. Red Sox SP Chris Sale continues to increase the intensity and length of his throwing sessions as he progresses toward rejoining the Red Sox rotation early-mid summer. He's 69% rostered. Diamondbacks SP Zac Gallen is set to throw a bullpen session Tuesday. He's dealing with a UCL sprain. Dodgers SP/RP Tony Gonsolin is expected to join the Dodgers rotation next week. He's 63% rostered. Marlins SP Elieser Hernandez could return when first eligible Thursday. He's 44% rostered. Mets 1B Pete Alonso and OF Kevin Pillar were activated Monday. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo participated in drills Monday. He's missed six straight games with a back issue. Reds 1B/2B/3B Mike Moustakas ran on the field Monday. He's on the IL with a right heel contusion. Giants SP Kevin Gausman's MRI on his hip came back clean and the Giants are optimistic he'll make his next start this weekend. White Sox SP/RP Michael Kopech went to the IL with a strained left hamstring. Nationals OF Victor Robles was reinstated. He's 40% rostered. Angels SP Jose Quintana was placed on the IL. Patrick Sandoval is expected to take his spot in the rotation. Brewers OF Lorenzo Cain is headed back to the IL with a right hamstring injury. Giants 3B Evan Longoria left Monday's game with right side soreness. A's OF Ramon Laureano is likely to be placed on the IL with a sore right groin. In case you thought Jacob deGrom left early because he only had 70 pitches, it was just the Mets being cautious with him again: He went six shutout innings against the Diamondbacks and allowed just two hits and no walks with eight strikeouts on 70 pitches. He averaged 100.1 mph on his fastball. | | | | Prospect updates | | Royals 2B/SS Bobby Witt Jr. had a three-homer game Sunday at Double-A. He's still striking out 31% of the time. Orioles C Adley Rutschman went 5 for 6 with a double dong Sunday at Double-A. He has more walks than strikeouts in 22 games this season. After a recent hot stretch, Angles OF Jo Adell is just 3 for 24 over his last five games at Triple-A. He has a 35% K rate for the season. Angels OF Brandon Marsh isn't much better, batting just .190 overall, albeit with a 24% K rate. | | Month of May category leaders | | Batting average: Reds OF Nick Castellanos, .409 Home runs: Rangers OF Adolis Garcia, 11 Runs: Blue Jays 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Blue Jays SS Bo Bichette, 24 RBI: Rays OF Austin Meadows, 28 Stolen bases: Padres SS Fernando Tatis, 8 ERA: Giants SP Kevin Gausman, 0.73 WHIP: Brewers SP Brandon Woodruff, 0.67 Wins: Gausman and White Sox SP Lance Lynn, 5 Strikeouts: Nationals SP Max Scherzer and Phillies SP Zack Wheeler, 57 Saves: Cardinals RP Alex Reyes, 9 | | Waiver wire pitchers | | Reds SP Wade Miley in his return vs. PHI: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He had 12 swinging strikes on 102 pitches. He's still just 58% rostered. Giants SP Johnny Cueto in his recent start vs. LAA: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He induced nine swinging strikes on 97 pitches. He's 61% rostered. Mariners SP Logan Gilbert in his recent start vs. OAK: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He also added eight swinging strikes on 80 pitches but allowed 10 hard hit balls and a 96 mph average exit velocity. Royals SP Mike Minor in his most recent start: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. He induced eight swinging strikes on 98 pitches. | | Streaming options | | Tuesday | | Red Sox SP Garrett Richards at HOU Astros SP/RP Luis Garcia vs. BOS Royals SP Brady Singer vs. PIT Tigers SP Matthew Boyd at MIL Angels SP Andrew Heaney at SF Cardinals SP John Gant AT LAD | | Wednesday | | Rays SP/RP Shane McClanahan at NYY Cubs SP Adbert Alzolay vs. SD Mets SP David Peterson at ARI Twins SP Randy Dobnak at BAL Braves SP Drew Smyly vs. WAS Cardinals SP Carlos Martinez at LAD | | | | | | | | |
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