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    Cruz (hand) cleared for all baseball activities

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    PIT Center Fielder #15
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    Oneil Cruz (hand) has been cleared for all baseball activities.

    That means Cruz will begin hitting in addition to the running he’s been doing. We’ll see how his fractured left hand responds to hitting high velocity, but assuming all goes well, we could see him begin a rehab assignment as soon as next week.
Could Walters' investigation impact the Dodgers?
David Samson joins the Dan Le Batard show to discuss what's next for Mark Walters amidst the ongoing federal investigation for multi-billion dollar fraud, and how it could impact the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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  • PIT Center Fielder #15
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    Cruz’ home run was his 15th of the year. He hit a two-run shot off Keider Montero in the fifth inning. Cruz was playing in his first game since suffering a hand injury on June 7. He’s hitting .265 with an .832 OPS and 46 RBI this year.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    Cruz is back in Pittsburgh’s lineup for the first time since June 7. The electrifying 27-year-old fantasy standout sat out Monday’s series opener against Detroit after being activated from the injured list. He wound up missing more than two months with multiple non-displaced fractures in his left hand. He’ll wind up sitting against the occasional lefty, but has made enough progress against them this season that it won’t happen every single time down the home stretch.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    He’s back, except he’s not starting tonight against lefty Framber Valdez. Cruz, who missed more than two months with a hand fracture, went 3-for-22 over six games on his rehab assignment. Although he’s clearly not at his best just yet, it’s probably worth getting him back into fantasy lineups anyway and hoping he steals some bases right away. His return figures to push Jake Mangum to a corner and result in some DH time for Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez. Ronny Simon, who had been DHing a lot, was sent down to open up a spot.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    The Pirates decided to extend Cruz’s rehab assignment after he was reevaluated earlier this week. The 27-year-old center fielder is working his way back from multiple non-displaced fractures in his left hand that sent him to the injured list in early June. There’s a decent chance he’s ready to return to Pittsburgh’s lineup later this week.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    Cruz played seven innings in center field on Sunday and will now be evaluated by the Pirates. His results haven’t been great in Triple-A, but if the organization deems that he’s healthy enough to return, we could see Cruz back in the lineup this week.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    Cruz is on the precipice of returning to Pittsburgh after hitting the injured list with multiple non-displaced fractures in his left hand back in early June. The 27-year-old fantasy standout will likely require a couple additional tune-up contests to get back up to speed in the wake of a lengthy layoff. He logged seven innings in center field on Friday, his first game action in nearly two months. There’s a strong possibility he’s ready to return at some point next week.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    Cruz has been sidelined since June 10th with non-displaced fractures in his hand. Given that it’s been almost two months since he played in a game, we should expect him to need some time to get his timing and rhythm back at the plate. However, the Pirates are also now 4.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot, so they may not have the luxury of holding Cruz out for a few more weeks.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    The procedural move doesn’t impact Cruz’s return timeline very much as he’s now eligible to come off the injured list on August 8. The 27-year-old fantasy standout has progressed to swinging a bat as he works his way back from a pair of left hand fractures. He should make it back to Pittsburgh’s lineup at some point in early August following a rehab assignment.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that he believed Cruz would be back soon after the All-Star break, so the fact that he’s swinging a bat now would make sense with that timeline. He will need to progress to facing live pitching and then begin rehab games next week or the week after. It’s looking like the Pirates will get their star back before the end of the month.
  • PIT Center Fielder #15
    Cherington mentioned that both players “are progressing well in Florida, but both will be sidelined until after the All-Star Break.” The team hopes that they will both be back in the lineup “not too long after the break.” Cruz has been out since June 10 with non-displaced fractures in his hand. He was originally expected to miss “at least one month,” which will be in the middle of this week. He could likely begin a rehab assignment in the next couple of weeks and, assuming he can swing without pain, be back in the Pirates lineup soon after. With both Horwitz and Cruz back, the Pirates may have to be creative to find at-bats for surging Esmerlyn Valdez and Tyler Callihan.

Rotoworld

  • LAA Shortstop #9
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    Zach Neto had a monster day at the dish in Thursday’s 18-3 victory over the Astros, going 5-for-6 with a homer, double, two runs scored and a whopping seven RBI.

    Neto opened the scoring in the top half of the first inning with an RBI single off of Peter Lambert. He then chipped in an RBI single in the fourth inning that extended the Halos’ lead to 6-2. Neto broke the game wide open with a 428-foot (107.6-mph EV) three-run blast off of Bryan King in the fifth inning that made it a 14-2 ballgame. Just for fun, he added on a two-run double in the seventh inning and a single off of LaMonte Wade Jr. in the ninth. The only thing he did wrong on the night was getting caught stealing for the 11th time on the season. With his impressive five-hit night, the 25-year-old shortstop is now slashing .231/.314/.422 with 21 homers, 61 RBI and 17 stolen bases.
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    Vaughn Grissom went 3-for-6 with a double and three RBI in a lopsided victory over the Astros on Thursday evening in Houston.

    Grissom delivered an RBI single in the second inning that tied the game at 2-2, then came around to score the go-ahead run on a bunt by Tyler Heineman. He then added a two-run double in the fourth that pushed their advantage to 10-2. The 25-year-old has at least held his own at the MLB level this season, slashing .249/.308/.377 with seven long balls and 50 RBI in 329 plate appearances.
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    Moises Ballesteros went 2-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI as the Angels walloped the Astros on Thursday.

    The 22-year-old backstop served as the Angels’ designated hitter in this one. He sparked a three-run rally with a leadoff double in the second inning and scored on an RBI knock by Vaughn Grissom. He then added a two-run single in the fourth that increased their lead to 8-2 before scoring on Grissom’s two-run double. It has been a rough year overall at the plate for Ballesteros, slashing .208/.280/.325 with six homers and 25 RBI in 236 plate appearances between the Cubs and Angels.
  • LAA Starting Pitcher #21
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    Grayson Rodriguez was terrific in Thursday night’s victory over the Astros, allowing just two unearned runs on five hits over seven strong innings.

    Rodriguez struck out six batters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. It looked like it was going to be another rough outing for Rodriguez as he walked the first two batters to start the game and allowed a single to Isaac Paredes to load the bases with nobody out. He rallied to escape that threat with only a pair of unearned runs allowed and went on to allow just one hit over the next six innings. The 26-year-old hurler got 12 swings and misses on 99 offerings on the night, posting a solid CSW of 31 percent. He’ll try to keep the good times rolling and further improve upon his unsightly 6.41 ERA and 1.53 WHIP when he does battle against the Guardians on Tuesday.
  • HOU Designated Hitter #44
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    Yordan Alvarez doubled, walked and scored a run as the Astros were clobbered by the Angels on Thursday evening in Houston.

    Alvarez drew a walk in the home half of the first inning and scored on a wild pitch. He then blooped a double down the left field line to start the third inning, but never advanced past second base. He was then pulled in the fifth inning to give him a bit of a rest, finishing the night 1-for-1 officially. He’s having an unbelievable season at the dish, slashing a monstrous .319/.432/.613 with 36 homers and 88 RBI in 553 plate appearances.
  • HOU Starting Pitcher #20
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    Peter Lambert was obliterated in Thursday night’s loss to the Angels, surrendering nine runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings of work.

    Yikes. Lambert also issued a pair of walks while striking out three batters in the ballgame. The Halos got to him early and often in this one, striking for one in the first, three in the second, and five more while chasing him in the fourth — all without the benefit of a home run. Lambert got nine whiffs on 79 pitches in the forgettable outing, posting a CSW of only 24 percent. This wipes away a lot of the good work that he had done this season, as Lambert now sports a 3.68 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 120/48 K/BB ratio over 122 1/3 innings through his first 22 starts. He’ll try to turn the page as he does battle against the Yankees in New York on Wednesday. Fantasy managers should probably want to sit that one out after this miserable performance.
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    Corey Seager belted a solo home run in the third inning on Thursday, powering the Rangers to a 2-0 victory over the visiting Nationals.

    Seager swatted a 2-2 fastball from Andrew Alvarez for an opposite-field 382-foot (103.4-mph EV) solo shot in the third inning that gave the Rangers an early 1-0 advantage that they wouldn’t relinquish. The 32-year-old shortstop also doubled in the ballgame, finishing the night 2-for-4. He’s now slashing .218/.315/.415 with 13 long balls and 31 RBI on the season.
  • TEX Left Fielder #36
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    Wyatt Langford drew a walk and swiped his 10th base of the season on Thursday as the Rangers eked out a victory over the Nationals.

    Langford worked Clayton Beeter for a one-out walk in the seventh inning and promptly swiped second base to get himself into scoring position, but the Rangers couldn’t cash him in from there. He’s having a solid all-around season at the dish, slashing .251/.318/.454 with 14 homers, 33 RBI and 10 stolen bases in his first 324 plate appearances.
  • TEX Relief Pitcher #67
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    Jacob Latz closed out the Nationals on Thursday evening, protecting a two-run lead to notch his 25th save of the season.

    The task became a bit easier for Latz after the Rangers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning, giving him an extra run to work with. He did issue a one-out walk to Harry Ford, but nothing came of it as Latz struck out each of the other three hitters that he faced. The 30-year-old southpaw has now converted 25 of his first 28 save chances on the season while posting a minuscule 1.75 ERA and a 61/15 K/BB ratio across 57 innings of work. He has been an absolute gold mine for fantasy managers who picked him up early in the season.
  • TEX Starting Pitcher #48
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    Jacob deGrom delivered a brilliant performance in Thursday night’s victory over the Nationals, striking out 10 batters over six innings of shutout baseball.

    The 38-year-old right-hander allowed just one hit in the contest — a one-out single by Brady House in the second inning — while issuing one base on balls. The Rangers only gave him one run of support in this one and deGrom made sure that it stood up, as no Nationals’ hitter advanced past second base against him in the ballgame. He generated 17 swings and misses on 94 offerings — nine on his slider — while registering a strong CSW of 34 percent. Now 9-8 on the season, he’ll look to further improve upon his 3.78 ERA and 1.13 WHIP when he takes on the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday.