Angels superstar outfielder Mike Trout is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks after being placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a right calf strain. The three-time American League MVP suffered the injury while running the bases during the first inning of Monday’s eventual victory over the Indians. The 29-year-old slugger was off to another phenomenal start at the plate, slashing .333/.466/.624 with 23 runs scored, eight home runs, 18 RBI and a pair of stolen bases across 146 plate appearances over 36 games. He also leads the major leagues in on-base percentage and OPS (1.086) this season. The timing of the injury is brutal for the Angels (and fantasy managers as well) since the team has lost 11 of their 17 games since May 1. It could potentially deliver a crushing blow to their playoff hopes. They’re currently five games under .500 (18-23 overall) and seven games behind the Athletics and Astros in the AL West division.
Trout has been one of the most durable players in baseball since his meteoric rise nearly a decade ago. It’s only his third-career injured list trip and has the potential to be the longest absence of his career if he’s unable to return by the start of July. He missed six after undergoing surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament back in 2017 and also spent two weeks on injured list with inflammation in his right wrist in 2018. It’ll be nearly impossible for the Angels to replace his on-field contributions, especially since neither Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh, the organization’s top outfield prospects, appear to be on the precipice of making significant contributions at the major-league level, yet the team may not have a better alternative for the next month or so.
Injuries have been the dominant storyline over the first seven weeks of the 2021 campaign, especially from a fantasy standpoint. Of the top 15 players selected, on average, in fantasy drafts this spring (per NFBC average draft position data), nearly half -- Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Jacob deGrom, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger and Trout -- have already spent time on the injured list. That list also doesn’t include Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mookie Betts, who have also missed time due to injury or been impacted by minor physical ailments. It’s impossible to predict injuries, but there have been an usually high number so far, especially to superstar-caliber players, over the first two months of the season. [[ad:athena]]
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Spencer Turnbull vs. Mariners
9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
32% CSW, 19 swinging strikes
Turnbull hurled the fifth no-hitter of the 2021 campaign on Tuesday evening against the Mariners, who were no-hit for the second time this month. He recorded a season-high nine strikeouts, issued a pair of walks, and needed a whopping 117 pitches (77 strikes) to accomplish the herculean feat. It was a masterful performance from the 28-year-old righty who allowed only five hard-hit batted balls, induced 19 swinging strikes and finished with a 32 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs).
Luis Castillo vs. Giants
5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
37% CSW, 21 swinging strikes
The good news is that Castillo flashed upper-90’s velocity while recording a season-high 11 strikeouts. He also generated an eye-popping 21 swinging strikes and finished with a stellar 37 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs). The bad news is that he surrendered five batted balls with an exit velocity in excess of 95 mph, including a three-run homer to Alex Dickerson in the fourth inning. The 28-year-old right-hander remains a work in progress, but he showed some extremely encouraging signs on Tuesday evening. He’ll look to keep the momentum going on Sunday when he faces the Brewers at home. If he can eliminate some of the hard contact issues that have plagued him over the first two months of the season, his elite raw stuff and strikeout upside remain firmly intact. The buy-low window for fantasy managers appears to be closing rapidly.
Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. Red Sox
7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
30% CSW, 10 swinging strikes
Simply put, Ryu has been one of the most underrated pitchers in the game for nearly a decade. The 34-year-old southpaw has dealt with some nagging minor physical issues over the last few weeks, but he appears to be fully healthy after back-to-back dominant outings. He’s allowed one run on nine hits with a 13/1 K/BB ratio across 14 innings over his last two starts against a pair of extremely talented lineups in the Braves and Red Sox, respectively. He’s compiled a 2.51 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 45/5 K/BB ratio over 46 2/3 innings (eight starts) this season. He’s lined up to face the Rays at home his next time out on Sunday afternoon.
Zack Wheeler vs. Marlins
7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
38% CSW, 17 swinging strikes
Wheeler induced 17 swinging strikes, finished with an elite 38 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs), and also notched his second double-digit strikeout performance of the 2021 campaign. The 30-year-old righty has proven to be an incredibly savvy free agent signing for the Phillies since he inked a five-year, $118 million deal back in 2020. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts, resulting in a pristine 2.52 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 66/13 K/BB ratio over 60 2/3 innings (nine starts).
Julio Urias vs. Diamondbacks
6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
39% CSW, 17 swinging strikes
Urías recorded eight strikeouts and didn’t hand out a free pass in this one. He gave up only three hits, including an RBI double to Nick Ahmed, which represented the lone tally against him. He generated 17 swinging strikes and finished with an elite 39 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs). The 24-year-old left-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts to open the 2021 campaign. He’ll carry a 3.04 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 60/7 K/BB ratio across 56 1/3 innings (nine starts) into a road tilt against the Giants on Sunday.
Blake Snell vs. Rockies
6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
34% CSW, 16 swinging strikes
Snell recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts and completed six innings for the first time since July 21, 2019. The 28-year-old lefty induced 16 swinging strikes and finished with a 34 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs). An RBI double by Josh Fuentes in the second inning accounted for all of the damage against him. He’ll carry a 3.79 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 60/25 K/BB ratio across 40 1/3 innings (nine starts) into a road tilt against the Brewers on Monday.
Editor’s Note: Drafting is only half the battle! Get an edge on your competition with our MLB Season Tools - available in our EDGE+ Roto tier for $3.99/mo. (annually) or $9.99/mo. (monthly) - that are packed with rankings, projections, a trade evaluator, start/sit tools and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code WELCOME10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
Hitters with an EDGE
Miguel Sano vs. White Sox
3-for-4, 3 R, 3 HR, 4 RBI
Sano delivered a monster three-homer performance against the White Sox, supplying virtually all of the Twins’ offensive output in the low-scoring affair. He launched a pair of solo homers off veteran righty Lance Lynn in the fourth and sixth inning before drilling a game-tying, two-run blast to right-center field against lefty Aaron Bummer in the eighth inning. It was his 10th career multi-homer effort and the first three-homer game of his career. The 28-year-old slugger possesses mammoth raw power, but has gotten off to an atrocious start at the plate this season. It’s possible that this herculean effort kick-starts a turnaround, but fantasy managers may want to wait and see before committing a roster spot, especially in shallow mixed leagues.
Nolan Arenado vs. Pirates
2-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Arenado reached base safely in three of his four plate appearances and also homered for the fourth consecutive game. He wasted no time extending his streak with a two-run tater to left-center field off righty JT Brubaker in the opening frame. The 30-year-old third baseman has shown zero signs of slowing down since his exodus from Coors Field, slashing .307/.362/.583 with 25 runs scored, 10 homers and 30 RBI across 177 plate appearances. He’s pretty good, folks.
Mike Zunino vs. Orioles
2-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB
Zunino spearheaded the Rays’ epic 13-run, 15-hit offensive explosion against the cellar-dwelling Orioles, recording his first multi-homer performance since August 8, 2018. The 30-year-old backstop’s all-or-nothing approach at the plate limits his realistic upside, but he’s up to 10 homers in 27 games, which is nearly as many as he had (15) in 118 games over the last two seasons. Given the abundance of injuries at the catcher position, he’s absolutely worthy of a roster spot for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.
Ramon Laureano vs. Astros
2-for-3, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB
Laureano reached base safely in three of his four plate appearances in the back-and-forth battle and also went deep twice off righty Cristian Javier in the early stages of the contest to record his third career multi-homer effort. It was the first time he’s accomplished the feat since September 7, 2018. The 26-year-old outfielder has been a dynamic power and speed contributor for fantasy managers, smashing 10 homers, while also stealing eight bases in 39 games this season.
Nico Hoerner vs. Nationals
3-for-4, 2 R
Hoerner merits a mention in this space because he continues to tear the cover off the ball, making it even more infuriating that the Cubs elected to option him to Triple-A Iowa at the conclusion of spring training last month. In total fairness, the 24-year-old second baseman looked completely overmatched in his first exposure to major-league pitching last season, but he’s made tremendous progress at the plate this season. He’s notched six multi-hit performances in 15 games so far and owns a preposterous .353/.433/.471 triple-slash line with six runs scored and eight RBI in 60 plate appearances. It’s a small sample size, and nobody sustains a .409 BABIP for very long, but this isn’t a total fluke. He’s gone from being a non-factor to a viable fantasy option in deeper fantasy formats, virtually overnight.
Closing Time
So much for the Giants opting to move in another direction at the end of games. Rather than hand the ball to righty Tyler Rogers for the third consecutive save chance in as many days, manager Gabe Kapler summoned veteran lefty Jake McGee to protect a two-run lead versus the bottom of the Reds’ lineup in the final frame. He retired the side in order, momentarily quelling any doubts that his run as the team’s primary stopper had ended, after an ugly blown save against the Pirates last weekend. There’s still a chance that Rogers vultures a handful of saves moving forward, but it appears that McGee is back as their primary stopper of the present.
After Tomas Nido blasted a go-ahead solo shot off Braves’ closer Will Smith in the top of the ninth inning, Edwin Diaz struck out a pair of batters in a perfect ninth inning to notch his seventh save of the season. The 27-year-old righty has converted all seven of his save chances and has been lights-out under pressure. It’s those pesky non-save appearances that have continued to give him trouble this season. There will be the occasional untimely implosion, but he’ll finish as an upper-echelon fantasy stopper when the music stops at the end of the year.
It wasn’t exactly a save situation, with the Blue Jays leading by more than a touchdown, but righty Rafael Dolis looked extremely sharp in his return to the Toronto bullpen on Tuesday night after a minimum injured list trip due to a right calf strain. The 33-year-old righty struck out the side against the Red Sox in a scoreless frame and appears to be back in the mix for saves alongside righty Jordan Romano moving forward. There isn’t much clarity with the Blue Jays’ pecking order, but both relievers should be rostered in deeper fantasy formats.
Craig Kimbrel rebounded from a tough blown save over the weekend to strike out a pair of batters in a perfect ninth inning against the Nationals on Tuesday evening, protecting a three-run lead to collect his eighth save of the season. The 32-year-old righty owns an absurd 1.08 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 27/7 K/BB ratio over 16 2/3 innings.
Aroldis Chapman slammed the door on the Rangers, protecting a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Tuesday to net his 10th save of the season. The 33-year-old left-hander worked around a two-out double from Andy Ibanez, striking out the side, in a dominant frame. He’s fired 16 consecutive scoreless frames with a ridiculous 34/5 K/BB ratio this season. He’s the best relief pitcher in baseball right now.
Alex Reyes worked around a leadoff walk by Gregory Polanco to spin a scoreless frame against the Pirates on Tuesday night, guarding a three-run lead to net his 12th save of the season. The hard-throwing 26-year-old former top prospect has excelled in a high-leverage relief role, compiling a microscopic 0.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 28/20 K/BB ratio over 22 innings of work.
Josh Staumont was called upon to protect a two-run lead for the Royals and silenced the Brewers in the ninth inning on Tuesday evening to collect his fourth save of the season. He gave up a one-out single to Lorenzo Cain, but managed to whiff Christian Yelich and Avisail Garcia to end the low-scoring affair. The hard-throwing 27-year-old righty appears to have taken over as the Royals’ closer and should be rostered in deeper fantasy formats. There may not be a ton of save chances moving forward, but he’s clearly the most talented arm in that bullpen right now.
James Karinchak worked a scoreless ninth inning against the Angels on Tuesday to pick up his fourth save of the season. The 25-year-old righty issued a two-out walk, but managed to get Jose Rojas to fly out to end the contest. He owns a sublime 0.49 ERA, 0.49 WHIP and 34/6 K/BB ratio over 18 1/3 innings this season. He should be rostered in all fantasy formats already, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him retake the closer role from Emmanuel Clase at some point this summer.
There wasn’t a save situation in Minnesota on Tuesday night, but both Hansel Robles and Taylor Rogers fired scoreless frames against the White Sox. Robles handed out a free pass and struck out the side in a flawless eighth inning before Rogers hurled a scoreless ninth inning. Both appear to be in the mix for saves moving forward.
EDGE Priority Pickup
Corbin Martin, SP, Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have been dealing with an avalanche of injuries to their starting rotation, which led to Martin getting the call on Tuesday evening to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles. He held his own in his regular season debut, recording six strikeouts, issuing four walks and surrendering four hits, including homers to Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor. The 25-year-old right-hander was the centerpiece of the Zack Greinke trade with the Astros back in 2019 and has missed most of the last two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He compiled a microscopic 1.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 14/ K/BB ratio across 9 2/3 innings (two starts) at Triple-A Reno prior to his promotion. Per NBC Sports EDGE prospect guru Chris Crawford, Martin is one of the more underrated pitching prospects in baseball. He possesses three pitches with plus grades, and he gets plenty of movement on his fastball; a pitch that touches 98 mph when he’s at his best. He’s a viable streaming option for fantasy managers moving forward, but represents a risky gamble against the Rockies in Coors Field on Sunday.
Editor’s Note: Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news and updates. Plus, it allows you to easily track your favorite players. Get it here!
Wednesday’s Matchup of the Day
Corbin Burnes (Brewers) vs. Brad Keller (Royals) - 8:10 PM ET
There aren’t a ton of intriguing pitching matchups on tap for Wednesday, which makes it even easier to go with Burnes, who was arguably the best pitcher in baseball during the opening month of the 2021 campaign, and picked up right where he left off upon his return last week. He’ll carry a 1.57 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 58/1 K/BB ratio into a tasty matchup against a struggling Royals’ squad.
American League Quick Hits: Gleyber Torres (COVID-19) could be activated as early as Wednesday … George Springer (quad) could soon advance to sprint work. There’s no timetable for when he might be able to return to the Blue Jays’ active roster, but at least there’s been some progress as of late … Shohei Ohtani launched his major league-leading 14th home run of the season in the Angels’ loss to the Indians … Jose Ramirez walloped a two-run homer -- his 12th round-tripper of the season -- to lift the Indians past the Angels … Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Randal Grichuk tallied three hits in the Blue Jays’ lopsided win over the Red Sox … Kyle Tucker swatted his 10th homer of the season in the Astros’ loss to the Athletics … DJ LeMahieu doubled and collected three RBI to lead the Yankees past the Rangers … Austin Meadows went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in the Rays’ blowout victory over the Orioles … Jeimer Candelario went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI in the Tigers’ win over the Mariners … Nick Solak went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI in the Rangers’ loss to the Yankees … Yasmani Grandal and Jake Lamb went deep in the White Sox’ loss to the Twins … Justin Upton went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer in the Angels’ loss to the Indians … Justin Dunn recorded nine strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a loss to the Tigers … Cristian Javier notched nine strikeouts over six innings in a no-decision against the Athletics … Zach Plesac allowed five runs over seven frames in a win over the Angels … Kris Bubic struck out four batters over six shutout frames in a no-decision against the Brewers … Lance Lynn yielded two runs over six innings in a no-decision against the Twins … Eduardo Rodriguez was tagged for five runs on 11 hits over five innings in a loss to the Blue Jays … Sean Manaea yielded three runs over six innings in a no-decision against the Astros … Luis Patino struck out six batters over 3 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Orioles … Jameson Taillon was lit up for four runs over 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers … Mike Foltynewicz coughed up five runs over 3 2/3 innings in a loss to the Yankees … Andrew Heaney was charged with five runs (four earned) over three innings in a no-decision against the Indians … Michael Pineda was scratched from Tuesday’s scheduled start against the White Sox after undergoing a procedure to remove an abscess from his inner thigh … Max Kepler (hamstring) returned to the Twins’ starting lineup on Tuesday … Red Sox activated Enrique Hernandez from the 10-day injured list … Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday that Kevin Kiermaier (wrist) is “very close” to returning … An MRI on Danny Duffy‘s left arm showed no major structural damage … Chris Sale (elbow) threw another successful bullpen session on Tuesday … Jose Urquidy (shoulder) threw off flat ground Tuesday … Athletics placed Mitch Moreland on the 10-day injured list with an inflamed costochondral junction of his left rib … Indians optioned Andres Gimenez to Triple-A Columbus … Danny Santana (foot) could join the Red Sox this weekend in Philadelphia … Orioles purchased the contract of Stevie Wilkerson from Triple-A Norfolk … Rays acquired Sean Poppen from the Pirates for cash considerations.
National League Quick Hits: Fernando Tatis Jr. (COVID-19) could return as early as Wednesday … Wil Myers (COVID-19) could be activated from the injured list Saturday … Anthony Rizzo exited Tuesday’s game against the Nationals due to lower back tightness … Mets manager Luis Rojas said Tuesday that an MRI on Taijuan Walker‘s left side came back clean. He also added that Jacob deGrom (side) threw a successful bullpen session ... Phillies placed Didi Gregorius on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 14, with a right elbow impingement … J.T. Realmuto (wrist) remained sidelined from the Phillies’ starting lineup Tuesday … Stephen Strasburg (shoulder) threw a successful bullpen session on Tuesday … Cardinals placed Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 17, with a left middle finger fracture … Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry will start minor-league rehab assignments with Triple-A Oklahoma City this weekend … Trevor Bauer could have his next start pushed back from Thursday to Friday … Christian Yelich went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against the Royals in his return to the Brewers’ lineup … Freddie Freeman walloped his 12th homer of the year in the Braves’ loss to the Mets … Jazz Chisholm Jr. clobbered a two-run dinger in the Marlins’ loss to the Phillies … Gavin Lux crushed a grand slam in the Dodgers’ blowout victory over the Diamondbacks. He’s hitting .327 (18-for-55) with seven multi-hit performances in 15 games since May 1 … C.J. Cron went 3-for-4 with a run scored on Tuesday against the Padres in his return to the Rockies’ lineup ... Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos swatted solo homers in the Reds’ loss to the Giants … Bryce Harper went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI in his return to the Phillies’ lineup after missing a handful of games due to a shoulder injury … Tommy Edman went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI in the Cardinals’ win over the Pirates … Ian Happ and David Bote left the yard in the Cubs’ win over the Nationals … Alex Dickerson slugged a three-run homer and Brandon Crawford belted his 10th round-tripper of the season in the Giants’ win over the Reds … Jake Cronenworth went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, propelling the Padres to a victory over the Rockies in a 10-inning marathon ... Starlin Castro hit his second homer of the season in the Nationals’ loss to the Cubs … Brandon Woodruff notched four strikeouts and allowed two runs over 7 2/3 innings in a loss to the Royals … Anthony DeSclafani recorded seven strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Reds … Austin Gomber allowed one run over six innings on Tuesday in a no-decision against the Padres ... Cody Poteet hurled five shutout frames in a no-decision versus the Phillies … John Gant gave up two runs over 5 1/3 innings to pick up a win over the Pirates … Zach Davies allowed three runs over five innings in a no-decision against the Nationals … Patrick Corbin surrendered three runs over five innings in a no-decision versus the Cubs … JT Brubaker was lit up for five runs over 5 2/3 frames in a loss to the Cardinals … Charlie Blackmon (groin) is back in the Rockies’ starting lineup on Tuesday … Chris Taylor (wrist) returned to the Dodgers’ lineup on Tuesday … Mike Moustakas (heel) and Nick Senzel (knee soreness) were absent from the Reds’ starting lineup Tuesday … Jacob Stallings (knee) was held out of the Pirates’ starting lineup on Tuesday … Donovan Solano (calf) will be activated from the injured list on Wednesday … Wilmer Flores is being evaluated for right hamstring tightness after making an early exit Tuesday … Joey Votto will have a follow-up X-ray on his injured left thumb this week … Diamondbacks placed Luke Weaver on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder discomfort … Mets placed Kevin Pillar on the 10-day injured list with multiple facial fractures … Marlins placed Lewis Brinson on the 10-day injured list with a left middle finger sprain … Phillies placed Scott Kingery on the 7-day concussion injured list, retroactive to May 17 … J.D. Davis (finger) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Syracuse … Tony Gonsolin (shoulder) is likely to begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend with Triple-A Oklahoma City … Giants claimed Trevor Hildenberger off waivers from the Mets … Mets acquired Cameron Maybin from the Cubs for cash considerations.
