Fantasy Sports

Walker entered the event as one of the field’s biggest underdogs, but looked cool, calm and collected from the outset, launching 19 home runs on just 27 swings, including 13 in the first round, to cruise into the finals. He then eliminated one of the favorites, Junior Caminero, to earn a showdown with Kyle Schwarber in an electric final round. The 24-year-old burgeoning star went deep on each of his final six swings to become the first Cardinals hitter in franchise history to win the Home Run Derby. It was an unbelievable performance.

Schwarber’s defining characteristic is an uncanny ability to thrive under pressure, somehow always finding his swing and locking in on the biggest stages in baseball. The 33-year-old entered as the overwhelming favorite in his home ballpark and managed to overcome a frosty start to narrowly advance to the semifinals before outlasting former teammate Willson Contreras to reach the final round. He homered on seven of his first 10 swings in the finals and finished with a whopping 11 on 15 swings. It took a herculean effort from Cardinals emerging star Jordan Walker, who homered on each of his final six swings to pull off an incredible comeback.

Cholowsky receives a $10.35 million signing bonus, which represents a roughly $1 million under-slot deal, as the top-overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old was universally regarded as the most polished collegiate shortstop in at least a decade with a real chance to be above average both at the plate and in the field. From a fantasy standpoint, he projects as a strong contributor in the power department with enough hit tool projection to envision a respectable batting average. He won’t help at all in the stolen base department, which caps his realistic upside. Still, he’s a phenomenal prospect with a chance to bolster Chicago’s rapidly improving young nucleus as one one of their franchise cornerstones.

Misiorowski has made the leap from hard-throwing phenom to top-of-the-rotation force within the last few months, posting a microscopic 1.62 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 167/27 K/BB ratio across 111 innings over 18 first-half starts. The 24-year-old flame-thrower won’t reach free agency until 2032, but with more teams prioritizing long-term extensions with their top young players, it feels a bit surprising that there haven’t even been preliminary talks yet. Misiorowski is slated to resume throwing this week after being scratched from his final first-half outing due to fatigue. It doesn’t appear to be a serious concern, but fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status coming out of the All-Star break.

Acuña played five innings in right field during his first rehab contest. The 28-year-old fantasy superstar appears on track to return to Atlanta’s lineup following the All-Star break. He’s been brought along slowly in his recovery from a left hamstring issue that has forced him to the injured list on a pair of occasions since early May. He’ll get in a handful of additional rehab contests in the Florida Coast League before his next steps come into focus.

There’s no way to sugarcoat the obvious that Kim has been a complete non-factor at the dish in his Atlanta debut this season. The 30-year-old was hitting .068 (5-for-73) with zero homers and one steal in 82 plate appearances before hitting the shelf with right middle finger inflammation last week. There’s still time for him to turn things around and the Braves are obviously hoping that the minor-league reset will jump-start that process.

Jobe allowed just two baserunners and threw 27 of 38 pitches for strikes in his second rehab outing as he continues to work his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing 23-year-old should factor into Detroit’s second-half pitching plans in some capacity, but his realistic fantasy impact will largely be determined by their place in the American League’s playoff picture.

Arraez, who is on a one-year, $12 million deal with the Giants, has no say on if and where he’ll be traded. Fortunately, though, he’s played well enough at second base this year that he most likely will go to a team that wants to keep him there. The Rays are an obvious fit, and he’d also be an upgrade for a couple of his former clubs in Minnesota and San Diego.

The Dodgers are spaced out third, fifth and eighth in Roberts’ setup here. The lineup: DH Kyle Schwarber, LF Juan Soto, 1B Freeman, SS CJ Abrams, 3B Max Muncy, 2B Ozzie Albies, RF Brandon Marsh, CF Andy Pages and C Drake Baldwin.

The lineup: CF Trout, DH Yordan Alvarez, C Shea Langeliers, 3B Junior Caminero, SS Bobby Witt Jr., RF Cody Bellinger, 1B Ben Rice, LF Riley Greene and 2B Ernie Clement. Langeliers’ placement is odd, given that he’s hitting .186/.261/.362 since May 15, but then he did go 6-for-12 with three homers in his one series against the Blue Jays this year. That’s probably what manager John Schneider remembers.