Fantasy Sports

Brown threw 22 pitches in a live batting practice on Tuesday. He reportedly touched 96 mph, but there’s no word on his command or secondary pitches. Still, it seems like, if his shoulder responds well, Brown will begin a rehab assignment this weekend. He’ll likely need to make at least three starts, but that should put him on track for a mid-June return.

This is now DeLuca’s fifth straight start in the outfield after his early-season playing time was limited to mostly facing left-handed pitchers. With Jake Fraley on the injured list, DeLuca has a real chance to earn a full-time role. The 27-year-old is hitting .277/.308/.429 in 118 plate appearances with two home runs, 19 RBI, and six steals. He should be on the fantasy radar in deeper formats.

Anderson has not made an MLB start since August of 2021, when he was with the Rangers. He did look good in four innings out of the bullpen on Friday, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out one. He was also tremendous as a starter in Korea last year, posting a 2.25 ERA in 171 2/3 innings. This could be a bit of an audition for him since the Tigers do have one rotation spot up for grabs. However, Troy Melton could also come off the injured list next week and take this spot in the rotation.

The 24-year-old Matthews had spent a lot of time in centerfield for the Astros this season, but after Jose Altuve got hurt, he started at second base twice over the weekend. Then, Jeremy Pena was activated from the injured list on Monday, and Matthews started in center field. Yet, the Astros then activated Jake Meyers from the injured list on Tuesday, and Matthews headed to the bench. With Meyers, Cam Smith, Zach Cole, and Zach Dezenzo all in the outfield, it seems like Matthews has entered a timeshare at second base with Braden Shewmake. Matthews has plus raw tools, but he also has a .207 average and 31.5 percent strikeout rate in 127 plate appearances this season, so it’s hard to see him as a reliable fantasy contributor.

“I think it got the nail a little bit, but we’ll try to give him the day,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. The Rays have an off day on Thursday, so giving Díaz the day off on Wednesday will give him two rest days before returning to the lineup on Friday.

This will be the third straight missed game for Schwarber, who is dealing with an undisclosed illness. Bryce Harper will continue to DH, with Alec Bohm at first base and EdMunro Sosa at third base.

Matz has been out since May 5th with elbow inflammation, but he is back now and will start on Wednesday against the Orioles. The left-hander has a 3.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 28/13 K/BB ratio across 37 1/3 innings this season, but we would prefer not to use him right off the injured list.

We know Andres Chaparro got the call to replace Brady House on the active roster, but it’s only a matter of time before Morales is up to challenge for that spot. The 40th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft is hitting .358/.440/.616 with 10 home runs, 27 RBI, and two steals in 175 plate appearances in Triple-A this season. There is little left for him to prove at this level.

Hays has gone 2-for-10 in his first three games at Triple-A, but both hits have been home runs. The 30-year-old has been sidelined since May 4th with a calf strain after also missing significant time with a hamstring strain. With Sam Antonacci playing well in left field, the White Sox will have a tough choice to make when Hays is ready to return. Likely one of Tristan Peters or Jarred Kelenic will head back to the minors, or the White Sox will choose to designate Randal Grichuk for assignment.

Povich has been sidelined since May 7th with what was originally described as forearm discomfort but then became elbow inflammation. The fact that he visited a surgeon renowned for performing Tommy John procedures isn’t great news, but it seems that the course of action right now is to address the current inflammation with an injection and then evaluate him again after the inflammation goes down. We should know more about Povich’s potential need for surgery in a week or two.