Esmerlyn Valdez homers in win over Reds

Ritchie was scheduled to start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday. He’s pitched to a respectable 4.87 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 37/25 K/BB ratio across 40 2/3 innings in the big leagues this season. The 23-year-old can function as either a traditional starter or bulk relief option, depending on Atlanta’s needs. The hope here is that he’s not being rushed back because of a situation with Saturday’s starter Chris Sale. Stay tuned.

Martin return coincides with setup specialist Jakob Junis hitting the shelf with a hip impingement, which means he could be thrust into some high-leverage spots ahead of closer Jacob Latz right out of the gate. The 40-year-old veteran reliever is back after missing nearly five weeks with a shoulder impingement.

Junis received an injection and there’s hope it’ll be a minimum stint on the injured list, according to MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry. He’s settled nicely into a setup role behind stopper Jacob Latz for the Rangers this season, which makes his absence a tougher one to swallow than most. The 33-year-old journeyman has posted a strong 2.80 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 27/6 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings during his Texas debut. He’s also notched five saves during that span.

Griffin singled and stole second base to lead off the contest before swiping home on a designed double-steal with veteran Bryan Reynolds later in the frame. The 20-year-old rookie sensation is up to 19 thefts through 58 games in his first taste of the majors. He finished 1-for-5 out of the leadoff spot in this one. He’s going to be a fantasy force for years to come with sky-hight five-category superstar potential.

Wood clobbered his seventh leadoff blast of the season into the upper deck at Nationals Park, providing some fireworks during Washington’s annual Fourth of July matinee. The gargantuan 428-foot moonshot off Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft carried a stratospheric 113.1 mph exit velocity. It was his 23rd round-tripper of the season. He also walked twice in the contest as the Nationals were shut out over the final eight innings by Ashcraft and a quartet of Pirates relievers.

Ashcraft coughed up a tape-measure leadoff homer to James Wood but managed to keep the Nationals off the scoreboard into the middle innings. He finished with seven strikeouts and only issued a pair of walks. He’s posted at least seven punchouts in four consecutive starts since June 17. It was a much-needed rebound effort after getting tagged for three homers by the Phillies in his previous outing. He’ll face the Brewers at home in his final start before the All-Star break.

Littell allowed three inherited runners to cross the plate after entering the contest in the second inning following lefty opener Carson Palmquist. He managed to reel off six innings of one-run ball on just 87 pitches afterwards, but the damage was already done. He struck out three and issued one walk. He’ll carry an underwhelming 5.02 ERA into his final first-half outing against the Yankees on Friday. He’s not a recommended fantasy option in that tough spot.

Keegan will remain with Baltimore as a developmental project after passing through waivers earlier this week. The 25-year-old backstop was claimed from the division-rival Rays last month.

Greene returns to Cincinnati’s rotation after missing the first three months of the season recovering from surgery to remove bone chips and loose bodies from his pitching elbow. The hard-throwing 26-year-old fantasy ace shouldn’t have any workload restrictions in his long-awaited season debut after throwing 82 pitches over 6 1/3 innings during his final rehab start for Triple-A Louisville last weekend. He’s struggled to stay healthy since arriving in the majors a couple years ago, but delivered a phenomenal 2.76 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 132/26 K/BB ratio across 107 2/3 innings last year, making him one of the more impactful arms in the fantasy landscape on a per-inning basis.

Petty loses his spot with the Reds in a multi-inning relief role with ace Hunter Greene returning from the injured list to make his season debut. The 23-year-old has delivered a respectable 4.37 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 9/7 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings this season.