Fantasy Sports

Cabrera has turned things around this season while turning to his sinker as his primary fastball. The improved command has led to a 3.33 ERA and 80/30 K/BB ratio on the season. With Sandy Alcantara struggling, Cabrera could be the most valuable trade asset the Marlins have at the deadline since he remains under an affordable, team-controlled contract through 2028. Romero mentions that the Mets and Cubs are the two teams that appear to be most interested as of now.

When Tyler Glasnow was inserted back into the starting rotation, there was an initial thought that Shohei Ohtani would not pitch until after the All-Star break. Dave Roberts confirmed on Wednesday that Ohtani would instead start on Saturday against the Giants with Emmett Sheehan following him. Ohtani should expect to pitch about two innings, and Sheehan could have plenty of fantasy value in a follower role.

This is an interesting move because there doesn’t seem to be an opening for Acuña right now, especially after designating Travis Jankowski for assignment and keeping Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Brett Baty all on the active roster. Jeff McNeil could slide to more of a full-time outfield role, but Acuña also played center field in his last two games in the outfield, so maybe the Mets will be moving him out there. Even if he doesn’t play regularly, he will provide defensive versatility and baserunning ability. He was 10-for-65 with no extra-base hits and two walks in his last 36 games before being sent down just two weeks ago. It’s unlikely he’s changed much as a player in that time.

Trout tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run homer in the third, and he gave the Halos a 6-5 lead in the fifth with his second troundtripper. The 33-year-old is up to 16 homers on the season, and that solid number is even more solid when considering he missed close to a month with injury. When Trout is on the field, he remains one of the better power threats in baseball. The other skills don’t appear to be at that same level, but the pop isn’t going anywhere.

Semien hit a two-run homer to give the Rangers’ an 8-6 lead. The 34-year-old also drove in runs on a sacrifice fly and a fielder’s choice. Semien had been awful in seven July games prior to Wednesday’s showing with a .148 average and .296 slugging percentage, so the hope is this is the start of a hot run for a player who has had plenty in his career.

Pretty good baseball player, that Ronald Acuña Jr. Acuña hit a leadoff homer off Mitch Spence, one of a whopping five homers that Spence would allow to the Atlanta lineup. He took Spence deep again for his 11th homer of the season, and it’s worth remembering that number has come in just 41 games. Acuña has been sensational — sensational seems like an understatement — and as long as he’s healthy enough to take the field on a consistent basis, he’s a good bet to be as terrific as any fantasy option in the sport.

Perdomo turned a 2-0 game into a 6-0 lead with one swing of the bat. It was one of three homers that Arizona was able to hit in the game against Dylan Cease, and it was the 10th roundtripper of the year for Perdomo while bumping his RBI total to 64. Perdomo has shown flashes of fantasy brilliance in 2024, and there’s plenty of reason to think he’ll be a solid — if maybe unspectacular — option for the final 70-plus games.

On the day it was announced that Ramírez won’t be participating in the All-Star Game, the 32-year-old showed why he deserves to go with his 17th homer of the season. The steal was his 25th of the season, and he’s now slashing a robust .301/.366/.512 over 88 games. Ramírez will enjoy a deserved week off, but he remains one of the best players in the sport whether he attends the event or not.

Perez was the Royals’ hero in this one. After hitting a solo home run to give them a 1-0 lead in the second inning, he crushed what would become the game-winning homer in the eighth. That helped Kansas City to a finish off their sweep of the Pirates and climb just two games from .500, the closest they’ve been to that mark since June 22. For Perez, he was able to jump from a .685 OPS to a .712 OPS in this game alone. He hit three of his four balls in play harder than 107 mph. The long-time Royals catcher is hitting .371/.389/.829 in nine July games so far.

Wood’s power is truly prodigious. This home run gave him 24 on the season, fifth-most in the National League. It was also his 11th home run that traveled at least 420 feet, tying Eugenio Suárez for third-most in baseball. On top of that, he had another ball in play this game that he hit 113.6 mph. That tied him with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for third-most batted balls hit 113 mph or harder this season. The best part? Wood is doing all this as a 22-year-old in his first full major league season. Next week’s Home Run Derby and All-Star Game could help him get the national recognition he deserves as one of the brightest young stars in the game.