Fantasy Baseball: Braves and Orioles Without Key Players as Starters Land on Injured List

Everything that happens in and around MLB has some additional context when viewed from a
fantasy baseball
perspective. From lineup changes to minor league call-ups to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy baseball.

Our fantasy baseball buzz file, with contributions from our Farovintfantasy writers, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around MLB.

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June 22: What you need to know for Sunday

Todd Zola:

The slate gets an early start with the
Baltimore Orioles
and
New York Yankees
playing the rubber game of their three-game set in the Bronx at 11:35 a.m. ET. Thirteen more matinees are staggered throughout the day, with the fantasy culminating in an NL East tussle between the visiting
New York Mets
and host
Philadelphia Phillies
. That’s the Sunday night Farovintshowcase, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.

• Corbin Carroll
  has now missed three straight games, including a pair of chances to take advantage of the favorable hitting conditions in Coors Field. The
  Arizona Diamondbacks
  hope to have Carroll back in the lineup today when they try to sweep the
  Colorado Rockies
  in their three-game weekend series. Carroll is reportedly close after being hit on the hand by a pitch last Wednesday.
• Orioles INF
  Jordan Westburg
  left yesterday’s game in the third inning with a jammed finger, incurred in the first inning while stealing second base. X-rays were negative, but swelling remains so he’ll be reevaluated today. Westburg fanned 10 times in the four games heading into yesterday’s game so a short reset may help him get back on track. The club was already playing shorthanded after placing C
  Adley Rutschman
  on the IL for the first time in his career. An MRI revealed a strained oblique.
  Gary Sanchez
  will take over primary catching duties with
  Maverick Handley
  recalled to serve as the backup.
• The
  Atlanta Braves
  will be without ace Chris Sale for at least 15 days after he was diagnosed with a fractured left ribcage. The southpaw suffered the injury last Wednesday while making a diving catch in the ninth inning, costing him a complete game shutout as he was removed with one out to go.
  Didier Fuentes
  will stay with the big club to replace Sale in the rotation.
• The
  Texas Rangers
  beat the
  Pittsburgh Pirates
  3-2 yesterday, despite lacking two big bats.
  Jake Burger
  was placed on the IL with a strained left oblique while
  Wyatt Langford
  was held out with a stiff back.
  Justin Foscue
  was called up to fill Burger’s roster spot, though
  Ezequiel Duran
  handled first base last night.
  Sam Haggerty
  subbed for Langford.
  Chris Martin
  garnered his second save with a clean ninth inning featuring two strikeouts. Regular closer
  Robert Garcia
  appeared in the prior two contests and was unavailable. However, Martin has pitched better than Garcia, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Martin usurped the job.

June 21: What you need to know for Saturday

Todd Zola:

Saturday’s action starts at 12:10 p.m. ET with the
Tampa Bay Rays
entertaining the
Detroit Tigers
. The remaining 14 contests are staggered throughout the afternoon and evening.

• Adley Rutschman
  was scratched from Friday night’s lineup with left abdominal tightness. His status for Saturday’s AL East affair with the
  New York Yankees
  is unclear. Rutschman was slated to serve as the DH Friday with
  Gary Sanchez
  behind the plate. The
  Baltimore Orioles
  are carrying only two backstops, so Sanchez could garner more action over the weekend.
• The
  Los Angeles Angels
  placed
  Jorge Soler
  on the 10-day IL with lingering back soreness. He last played on Tuesday and is pacing towards one of the worst seasons of his career with a .630 OPS through 67 games.
• Arizona Diamondbacks
  C
  Gabriel Moreno
  could be out until the All-Star break after tests revealed a hairline fracture in his right hand.
  Jose Herrera
  takes over as the primary receiver with
  Aramis Garcia
  serving as the backup. The injury came at an inopportune time with the club spending the weekend in Denver.
  Corbin Carroll
  also missed Friday night’s opener with the
  Colorado Rockies
  , but the club hopes he can take the field Saturday.
• Matthew Boyd
  completed only five innings Friday afternoon after bruising his shoulder making a remarkable catch on a 105-mph line drive comebacker to end the top half of the fifth. He threw only 76 pitches, surrendering just two runs while fanning six, but Boyd didn’t come out for the sixth inning. The injury isn’t considered serious.
• Wyatt Langford
  missed Friday night’s game with back soreness.
  Texas Rangers
  skipper Bruce Bochy called Langford day-to-day. Langford was available to pinch hit but wasn’t needed in the 6-2 win over the
  Pittsburgh Pirates
  . However, his availability suggests his absence is expected to be short term.
  Sam Haggerty
  filled in last night, with
  Alejandro Osuna
  also a candidate to garner more action if it turns out Langford’s back issue is more serious.
• San Diego Padres
  closer
  Robert Suarez
  was handed a three-game suspension for hitting
  Shohei Ohtani
  after warnings had been issued on Thursday night. He’s appealing, so for now it’s safe to leave Suarez in your fantasy lineup. Appeals are often heard when the club travels to New York City, but the Padres don’t have an upcoming road series with the Mets. However, they’re in Philadelphia for a two-game series on July 1-3 with an off day on July 4, so Suarez may be asked to make the trip up I-95 North on Independence Day.
• Pittsburgh Pirates reliever
  Dennis Santana
  was suspended for four games following an altercation with a fan during the nightcap of Thursday’s twin bill. Santana is also appealing. He’s been effective, posting a 1.72 ERA and .83 WHIP in 31⅓ innings, collecting five saves and nine holds. He’s been working as a setup man for the last month with
  David Bednar
  reclaiming the closer role.

June 20: What you need to know for Friday

Todd Zola:

Friday’s first pitch is at 2:20 p.m. ET with the
Chicago Cubs
and
Seattle Mariners
getting together in Wrigley Field for an interleague matchup. The remaining 14 games are all evening contests, with a 6:40 p.m. ET first pitch for the earliest of those games.

• After a week of tracking potential postponements, rain should not be an issue today, but hitting conditions will be favorable in many venues, including the opening matinee, Busch Stadium (with the
  St. Louis Cardinals
  hosting the
  Cincinnati Reds
  ), Coors Field (for the
  Colorado Rockies
  and
  Arizona Diamondbacks
  ), Sutter Health Park (the
  Athletics
  and the
  Cleveland Guardians
  ) and Oracle Park (
  San Francisco Giants
  versus the
  Boston Red Sox
  ).
• Wilyer Abreu
  is expected to return tonight for the Red Sox after missing nine games due to a left oblique strain. He’ll be in the lineup against all right-handers but will probably sit versus lefties. With Abreu back, the club will rotate their young outfielders through the DH spot to keep them all in the lineup. However, the
  corresponding move
  will reportedly be the demotion of
  Kristian Campbell
  to Triple-A Worcester. The rookie opened his career with a .892 OPS through April, but has posted only a .465 mark since, along with having some issues in the field.
  David Hamilton
  will garner more action at the keystone, with
  Marcelo Mayer
  probably taking over when
  Alex Bregman
  returns. However, Bregman isn’t due back for at least a couple of weeks.
• The
  Atlanta Braves
  want to give their rotation an extra day of rest, so they’re calling up 20-year-old
  Dider Fuentes
  for tonight’s road start against the
  Miami Marlins
  . Fuentes has a 4.81 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP this season, compiled in 39⅓ innings over three levels. He has fanned 48 with 12 walks. While not considered a top prospect, Fuentes is gaining some allure and he’s clearly being fast-tracked. Still, this is expected to be only a spot start before a return to Triple-A Gwinnett.
• With
  Tylor Megill
  now on the IL as a result of a sprained elbow, the
  New York Mets
  are set to recall
  Blade Tidwell
  from Triple-A Syracuse to start tonight’s NL East meeting with the
  Philadelphia Phillies
  at Citizens Bank Park. Tidwell made a spot start in early May, surrendering six runs over 3⅔ innings to the Cardinals. Through 62⅓ innings on the farm, Tidwell has recorded a 4.76 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP with 73 punchouts and 25 walks. His current stay is expected to be brief with
  Frankie Montas
  earmarked to make his 2025 debut next week.
• Corbin Carroll
  missed Thursday’s game after being hit in the hand with a pitch on Wednesday night. X-rays were negative and he tried to convince Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo to let him play, but he was given the day off. Once Carroll sees the wind blowing out in Coors Field tonight, he’ll no doubt again make his case again for a return to action. One teammate who won’t be benefiting from the favorable conditions is C
  Gabriel Moreno
  , who was placed on the 10-day IL due to a bruised hand.
  Jose Herrera
  will do most of the catching with
  Aramis Garcia
  serving as the backup.
• Tempers flared again between the
  San Diego Padres
  and
  Los Angeles Dodgers
  after
  Fernando Tatis Jr
  . was hit by a pitch for the second time in the series and third time this month. X-rays on his wrist were negative, but he’s slated for further testing today. Padres closer
  Robert Suarez
  is
  likely to be suspended
  for hitting
  Shohei Ohtani
  in retaliation since warnings had been issued.

June 19: What you need to know for Thursday

Todd Zola:

An already busier than normal Thursday slate picked a pair of doubleheaders with two of yesterday’s three rainouts being made up today. The
Detroit Tigers
host the
Pittsburgh Pirates
, and the
Chicago White Sox
entertain the
St. Louis Cardinals
in traditional doubleheaders. Both are interleague matchups, so they’re forced to play two before heading off to their weekend series.

The third postponement was a divisional meeting between the
Milwaukee Brewers
and
Chicago Cubs
. The NL Central foes will make it up as part of a day-night twin bill on Monday, August 18, which is the next time the Brewers visit Wrigley Field. The now 16-game slate gets underway at 12:40 PM ET when the
Minnesota Twins
visit the
Cincinnati Reds
, followed by 10 more afternoon affairs, leaving five evening tilts.

• Corbin Carroll
  was hit in the left hand by a pitch last night, forcing him out of the
  Arizona Diamondbacks
  8-1 loss to the
  Toronto Blue Jays
  in the eighth inning. X-rays were negative but Carroll is questionable when the Diamondbacks try to avoid being swept by the Blue Jays at 3:07 p.m. ET today in Rogers Centre.
• Nick Castellanos
  returned to the
  Philadelphia Phillies
  lineup Wednesday. Manager Rob Thomson benched Castellanos on Tuesday after the veteran outfielder made an inappropriate comment after being replaced for defense on Monday. In an ironic twist of fate, Castellanos made a game-saving catch to end last night’s 4-2 road win over the
  Miami Marlins
  . On Tuesday,
  Orion Kerkering
  collected his first career save, perhaps signaling that he would be taking over at closer. However, last night Kerkering worked the eighth inning for the hold with
  Matt Strahm
  locking it down in the ninth. It appears that Thomson will play matchups, which may include Jordan Romero reentering the mix after posting three straight scoreless innings.
• Add Alex Cora and the
  Boston Red Sox
  to the growing list of clubs joining Thomson in the matchup game. In yesterday’s 3-1 road win over the
  Seattle Mariners
  ,
  Aroldis Chapman
  was summoned to face the top of the Mariners order in the eighth inning, which he did for his second hold of the season.
  Greg Weissert
  sealed the deal for his third save.