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    Esmerlyn Valdez helped off with hamstring injury

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    PIT Right Fielder #55
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    Esmerlyn Valdez left Friday’s game in the sixth inning with a hamstring injury.

    The Pirates are calling it hamstring discomfort, but Valdez had to be helped off the field. Unless was just a really bad cramp, Valdez’s season is most likely over. That would mean more at-bats for Jake Mangum and Billy Cook, unless maybe the Pirates want to give Jhostynxon Garcia a try. Garcia, though, just returned from injury in Triple-A.
Patrick talks Alonso's 300th, Brewers clinching
Dan Patrick takes a look around Major League Baseball and shares his disagreements to the Mets faithful giving Pete Alonso a curtain call following his game-tying HR in the 9th at Citi Field.

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  • PIT Right Fielder #55
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    Valdez winds up on the shelf after suffering the injury during Friday’s game against the Cubs. He’s likely done for the season with just over two weeks left. The power-hitting 22-year-old wraps up a strong rookie campaign with a .232/.345/.510 slash line with 40 runs scored, 17 homers and 47 RBI across 287 plate appearances in 72 games. His all-or-nothing approach, which yielded a 37 percent strikeout rate in his first taste of the majors, is going to result in some extended cold spells, but he’s capable of launching homers in bunches when he’s locked in at the dish.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    No surprise after Valdez was removed from Friday’s game with hamstring discomfort. It sounds like a potential injured list situation, but the Pirates have the roster flexibility to wait a couple days before making that decision, if that’s how they want to proceed. It’ll be Jake Mangum taking over in right field for the moment.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    The homer off Davis Martin was Valdez’s third in 34 games after he hit 14 in 37 games to open his major league career. He’d seem to be in line to lose some playing time once Ryan O’Hearn comes off the IL, though probably not as much as he’d lose if O’Hearn were ready to play right field right away. Most likely, he’ll be limited to DH and first base initially.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Valdez was a great story earlier this year, and he should certainly get a chance to compete for a lineup spot in 2027, but he has really struggled of late. In 39 games since the All-Star break, he is hitting .189/.335/.379 with six home runs and 18 RBI but also a 39.6 percent strikeout rate and just a 71.7 percent zone contact rate. Those contact issues are going to continue to be a major obstacle to his fantasy value unless he can find a fix, and he does not need to be rostered in redraft leagues right now.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    After four weeks of being stuck on 14 homers, Valdez has collected two in his last four games. He’s racking a lot more strikeouts than hits of late, but at least he has drawn some walks to keep his OBP up; he’s batted .197/.337/.325 with 40 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances this month. He’ll probably remain in the lineup most of the time until Ryan O’Hearn returns, something that’s at least a couple of weeks away from happening.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Valdez doubled in the first inning and came around to score when Bryan Reynolds followed with a double of his own. He doubled again in the third, this time scoring on a Brandon Lowe groundout. The 22-year-old was off to an electric start in his big league career, but he has slumped in August with a strikeout rate pushing 40 percent. The slump coincides with a stretch in which the entire Pittsburgh lineup has struggled to produce. Valdez will ultimately be a streaky hitter with big power and big swing-and-miss.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Since taking a scary-looking hit by pitch last Tuesday, Valdez is 1-for-23 in his last eight games. Ronny Simon is starting in right field against RHP Dustin May.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Valdez managed to avoid serious injury, with initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures, after being hit in the left wrist by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning on Monday night. He’s back in right field and hitting cleanup following the injury scare. The 22-year-old rookie slugger has been an unexpected revelation for Pittsburgh, and fantasy managers as well, hitting .290/.386/.702 with 14 homers and 36 RBI across 145 plate appearances in 38 games this season. He’s overdue for some regression in the batting average department based on his plate skills, but the over-the-fence power is very real and it’s fantastic.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Valdez had to be removed from the game and appeared to be in clear pain. However, the X-rays revealed no fracture, so the 22-year-old will simply wait for the pain and swelling to go down before re-entering the lineup. Both the Pirates and fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    It’s surprising that the Pirates didn’t offer a postgame update after Valdez was hit by a pitch during the early stages of Monday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks. The power-hitting 22-year-old appeared to get hit in the left hand/wrist area and presumably underwent X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. It’s possible there was too much swelling to be able to tell anything on initial imaging. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status leading into Tuesday’s contest.

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  • MIL Shortstop #87
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    Cooper Pratt (illness) is back in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Pirates.

    Pratt is back at shortstop and hitting ninth following a one-game absence due to illness. The 22-year-old rookie has held his own at the highest level this season, slashing .273/.341/.369 with 31 runs scored, three homers, 30 RBI and 13 steals in 232 plate appearances over 64 games.
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    Colson Montgomery was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Guardians with a left wrist contusion.

    The encouraging development here is that X-rays came back negative for any fractures after Montgomery was hit by a pitch during Wednesday’s critical showdown in Cleveland. The 24-year-old shortstop is presumably day-to-day heading into Thursday’s series opener against the Tigers. It wouldn’t be surprising if he needed a couple days off to rest and recover.
  • LAD Right Fielder #90
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    Josue De Paula is not in the lineup for Wednesday’s showdown against the Reds.

    De Paula takes a seat with veteran Teoscar Hernández at DH and Kyle Tucker in right field to face Cincinnati southpaw Andrew Abbott. The 21-year-old phenom went 0-for-5 out of the leadoff spot on Tuesday and is hitting just .143 (2-for-14) with one homer, three RBI and one steal in five games since being promoted from Double-A Tulsa last week. The fact that he’s hitting some initial turbulence isn’t a surprise at all considering his relative inexperience while facing big-league arms for the first time. He has an extremely bright future ahead of him as an all-around fantasy contributor. The big question is whether he’ll have a spot with Los Angeles once Shohei Ohtani (biceps, knee) is ready to return from the injured list next week.
  • WSH Shortstop #5
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    CJ Abrams (neck) is back in the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the Phillies.

    Abrams is back at second base and hitting cleanup after sitting out Tuesday’s contest with neck tightness. It didn’t sound like a serious concern at the time and he’s back following a one-game absence. He’ll continue to split time between shortstop and second base for the final two weeks of the season.
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    Mets recalled LHP Jefry Yan from Triple-A Syracuse

    Yan had a 5.68 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, and a 17/11 K/BB ratio across his 12 2/3 innings with the Mets earlier this month. He’ll go back to pitching and leaping out of the bullpen over the final weeks of the season.
  • NYM Relief Pitcher #49
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    Mets recalled RHP Xzavion Curry from Triple-A Syracuse to start on Wednesday.

    Curry will start for the Mets on Wednesday against the Orioles. The 28-year-old has a 3.44 ERA for the Mets in 18 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He has allowed one run on nine hits in 9 1/3 innings across two starts in Triple-A Syracuse this month, so he could give the Mets four or five innings tonight if he can limit the damage.
  • NYM Relief Pitcher #78
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    Mets placed RHP Robert Stock on the 15-day injured list with finger numbness.

    Stock had a 5.93 ERA in 30 1/3 innings for the Mets this season in eight appearances (seven starts). This injury will likely end his season.
  • NYM Relief Pitcher #54
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    Mets placed RHP Daniel Duarte on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.

    Duarte has been really solid for the Mets this season, pitching to a 2.12 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 30/7 K/BB ratio in 29 2/3 innings. Sadly, this will end his 2026 season.
  • LAD Starting Pitcher #11
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    Roki Sasaki (blister) threw a live batting practice on Wednesday before the Dodgers’ game.

    The team is “hoping this will be the last check mark in his recovery from a blister,” which means he could be activated as soon as this weekend. As of now, it remains unclear if the Dodgers will put him back in rotation or shift him to the bullpen once he’s activated
  • NYY Center Fielder #12
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    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Trent Grisham (hamstring) is “up to a pretty decent speed in his running progression and is doing baseball activities.”

    Grisham has been sidelined since September 5th with a right hamstring strain. With just 11 days left in the season, Grisham’s progress is likely more about him making it back to the Yankees for the postseason than the regular season. He may be able to return for a few games to end the regular season, but he is not a major stash candidate in fantasy leagues, outside of the deepest formats.