Betting

Cholowsky was one of the most productive hitters in college baseball in his time at UCLA, and finished his junior season with .320/.452/.686 slash along with 23 homers over 60 games with the Bruins. The 21-year-old has significant power from the right side, and while the hit tool projects slightly below his power, he makes enough hard contact with a solid approach to suggest he can hit for a solid average as well. The only thing Cholowsky isn’t projected to do offensively is steal bases, as he’s only swiped 14 bags in his three seasons in college. Despite that lack of speed he’s a terrific defender who does project to stick at shortstop. Cholowsky has tremendous upside, and he has a real chance to be the best player in the class.

Peters gets the call to Philadelphia alongside teammate Munetaka Murakami for next week’s Midsummer Classic as a replacement for an injured Nick Kurtz (thumb). The unheralded 26-year-old hit for the cycle during Friday’s blowout win over the Athletics and has been an unexpected revelation for the upstart White Sox, slashing .303/.357/.484 with six homers and five steals in 89 games. This is his first career All-Star Game selection. It comes just a few years after Peters played for the Savannah Bananas back in 2021. He’ll add some much-needed flair to the All-Star Game for the American League.

Díaz remains on track to rejoin the Dodgers’ bullpen sometime after next week’s All-Star break, with Tanner Scott continuing to handle the ninth inning until then. The 32-year-old former All-Star closer has been sidelined since early April, when he underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. He got off to a rocky start during his Los Angeles debut, but his track record suggests a return to form is well within reach, but only if his health cooperates. His fastball velocity and ability to generate swinging strikes during his rehab assignment will be the key indicators that fantasy managers need to closely monitor.

It’s another significant hit to the Athletics’ lineup, as Kurtz, who will also miss next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia, is likely facing a multi-week absence. His departure coincides with losing Brent Rooker to season-ending knee surgery and red-hot Zack Gelof to a knee laceration within the past two weeks. The lingering thumb issue certainly helps explain the 23-year-old on-base machine’s recent downturn at the plate as he went hitless over his final 20 at-bats and was batting .145 (8-for-55) with one home run across his last 15 games. He finishes the first half slashing .266/.405/.497 with 61 runs scored, 20 homers, 66 RBI and seven steals in 412 plate appearances across 92 games. A clearer timetable should emerge soon, but fantasy managers should be prepared for an extended absence given the nature of the injury.

Chourio takes a seat after going just 3-for-21 during a five-game series against the division-rival Cardinals earlier this week. The 22-year-old franchise cornerstone will get a bit of a mental reset break in the front-end of the twin bill and figures to return for Saturday’s evening showdown at PNC Park. It’ll be rookie Luis Lara taking over in left field with Garrett Mitchell hitting second in the opening contest.

Robert is likely to rejoin New York’s outfield mix following next week’s All-Star break after appearing in just 24 games before landing on the injured list in late April with lumbar spin disk herniation. The 28-year-old marquee offseason addition will be returning to a crowded situation, where rookie A.J. Ewing has emerged as a fixture in center field. That development likely pushes Robert into a short-side platoon role and could prompt New York to explore moving on from him before to next month’s trade deadline.

Harrison heads to the injured list after revealing earlier this week that he’s been pitching through soreness on the outside of his elbow for the past couple weeks, an issue that limited him to just four innings against the Cardinals in his most recent start. The immediate concern is whether the issue extends beyond inflammation and points to something more serious that could sideline him for an extended period. The 24-year-old emerging fantasy ace had put together a stellar first half, establishing himself as a borderline top-20 starter with a pristine 3.01 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 101/20 K/BB ratio across 83 2/3 innings over 17 starts. There should be additional clarity on his status in the coming days.

Murakami went 1-for-5 with a run scored against the injury-riddled Athletics on Friday in his return from the injured list. He struck out four times was one of the few Chicago hitters that didn’t go off during the club’s 14-run explosion. The 26-year-old first baseman will probably need a couple games to knock off some of the rust heading into the second half after missing nearly six weeks with a hamstring strain. He’s put together a phenomenal debut campaign so far, hitting .239/.375/.556 with 20 homers, 42 RBI and one steal through 58 games.

Ohtani is slated to have his ailing left knee drained in addition to receiving a pain-relieving injection later this weekend and will miss next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia as a result. The 32-year-old generational talent homered during Friday’s series opener against Arizona and will remain in Los Angeles’ lineup at DH. He added that the issue is impacting his performance on the mound more than at the plate and while he could’ve pushed through the issue he’s going to use the extra time off the be ready for the second half.

Chisholm golfed a Matt Krook sweeper into the second deck in right field, just fair, for his 13th homer of the season. The second baseman had slumped of late — he’s hitting just .186 over his last 30 games — and is still just under a .700 OPS on the season, but hopefully this gets him going in the second half. Someone get him on with Jimmy Fallon again.