Imananga: Good except for the dingers

Ortiz was one of the big winners from a playing time standpoint at the trade deadline after the Nationals jettisoned Luis García Jr. to the Yankees. The 24-year-old should play everyday at first base against right-handed starters and offers enough over-the-fence pop to be an impactful addition in deeper mixed leagues, especially if he’s going to bat near the top of Washington’s lineup.

Márquez’s departure clears a spot on San Diego’s roster for trade deadline acquisition Robbie Ray. The 31-year-old was bumped from the rotation in late July and was blasted for four runs during his lone inning of work against the Diamondbacks earlier this week. He finishes with a lackluster 5.26 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 37/24 K/BB ratio across 53 innings of work. There’s a chance another organization out there is willing to roll the dice, but it’s unlikely to be a contending club.

Mey throws extremely hard and has trouble throwing strikes on a consistent basis. The 25-year-old flamethrower gets another look with Cincinnati after starter Hunter Greene hit the injured list with an elbow issue. He’s posted an underwhelming 7.27 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and 14/10 K/BB ratio over 8 2/3 innings in the majors this season.

As former Yankees manager Joe Girardi was fond of saying, it’s not what you want. Greene’s sudden departure from Cincinnati’s rotation comes with a lack of certainty regarding the severity of the issue and whether he’ll require another surgical procedure. He’s scheduled to meet with renowned surgeon Dr. Neal El Attrache in Los Angeles later this week. The hard-throwing 26-year-old has struggled to an inflated 6.83 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 33/9 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings since returning from surgery to remove bone chips and loose bodies from his pitching elbow back on July 4. There should be some much-needed clarity regarding his next steps in the coming days. At this point, it’s challenging for fantasy managers to justify stashing him, especially in shallow formats.

Saucedo gets the call to join Los Angeles’ bullpen with Sam Bachman landing on the injured list. The 33-year-old has been in the headlines lately after Cubs superstar, and NL MVP Award candidate, Pete Crow-Armstrong referenced on a recent podcast appearance Saucedo’s comments questioning the existence of Babe Ruth a few years ago. What a time to be alive.

Bachman hits the shelf after telling reporters that he was dealing with some arm fatigue over the weekend. The 26-year-old holds a serviceable 4.14 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 46/27 K/BB ratio across 45 2/3 innings over 41 relief appearances in the big leagues this season. There’s a chance he’s done for the season with less than two months left on the calendar.

Lord returns to Washington’s pitching mix after spending the last month on the injured list with side tightness. The 26-year-old has mostly operated as a multi-inning long reliever this season, posting a respectable 3.88 ERA across 58 innings of work. He can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes.

The Littell era in Washington concludes with a cromulent 4.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 70/35 K/BB ratio across 112 1/3 innings over 23 appearances, including 14 starts. The 30-year-old should be able to latch on somewhere as an innings-eater for the final two months of the season, but his odds of returning to fantasy relevance are extremely slim.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Judge was given the green light after followup scans on his right ribs. It’s a significant step towards making it back to New York at some point in the final two months. The 34-year-old generational talent remains without a definitive return timeline and he’s likely to require several weeks to ramp-up from a physical standpoint following the lengthy layoff. Judge has been on the injured list with a stress fracture in his right ribs since early June. There should be a clearer idea of his next steps in the coming weeks.

Freeman was replaced by Enrique Hernández at first base with the Dodgers trailing by five runs entering the sixth inning. He was 1-for-3 at the dish prior to exiting. It feels like a workload management decision by Los Angeles to get the 36-year-old veteran off his feet in a one-sided affair, but he didn’t exactly look comfortable in his final at-bat. We’ll have updates on the situation as they unfold, especially if Freeman’s exit winds up being injury-related.