MLB Player News

Ogasawara will get the call to pitch against Boston in the series finale. The 27-year-old was signed to a two-year by the Nationals, but suffered an oblique injury that has limited him to just 15 innings in the minors. He’s worth keeping an eye on, but there’s some significant fantasky risk in using Ogasawara on Sunday that doesn’t carry as much potential reward.

Gomber struck out three and walked two, and needed 90 pitches to get 13 outs. He posted just a 10 percent whiff rate and 21 percent CSW and should not be trusted in fantasy leagues.

Martinez struck out three and walked one on the day while registering a 15 percent whiff rate and 26 percent CSW. It wasn’t a dominant performance, but his slider missed bats, and his four-seam fastball was located well. The Rockies didn’t have a single extra-base hit on the day and only had one baserunner outside of the third and sixth innings. Martinez has a 4.78 ERA on the season and is just a streamer in fantasy leagues.

The 25-year-old struck out one and didn’t allow a baserunner while securing his 12th save of the season. He’s been a really great story and a tremendous waiver add in fantasy leagues, but we would be shocked if the Cubs didn’t add a veteran closer at the trade deadline in hopes of cementing their status as World Series contenders.

Swanson helped to break open the game with a 381-foot shot that left the bat at 103.1 mph for his 16th home run of the season. He also had a 104.3 mph lineout and a 95.4 mph single on the day. The shortstop is now 15-for-50 (.300) in July with two home runs, seven RBI, and nine runs scored. He probably doesn’t want to go on a four-day break.

Stanton had one of the two Yankees hits on the day and their only run. He now has four home runs and 14 RBI in 21 games this season. He also continues to strike out over 30 percent of the time, as he has in basically every season since 2021. The Yankees continue to play him around four times a week, which makes it hard to roster him in weekly lineup leagues, but he has value in daily moves leagues or OPS leagues.

He also struck out just one while walking three and throwing 52 of his 88 pitches for strikes on the day. Warren didn’t have his best command on the day, posting just a 49 percent zone rate overall while inducing only seven whiffs on 43 swings for a 16 percent whiff rate and 18 percent CSW. The rookie will end the first half with a 4.63 ERA in 95 1/3 innings; however, his strikeout rate and 3.63 SIERA suggest that a better second half could be in order if he can continue to make his command more precise.

Imanaga was tremendous in this one, walking just one batter and striking out six while needing 91 pitches to get through seven innings. His splitter and sweeper combined for eight whiffs on 23 swings (34.7 percent whiff rate) while posting a 27 percent CSW on the day. The left-hander has been great when healthy for Chicago this season and will take a 2.65 ERA into the break. He’s a fantasy ace.

The 37-year-old left-hander now has 17 saves and a 1.18 ERA in a tremendous first half. He’ll represent Boston in the All-Star game and is becoming increasingly likely to finish the season with the Red Sox and as the team’s closer as the season goes on.

Rafaela broke open a 2-1 game with a 352-foot home run in the sixth inning that left the bat at 99.3 mph. The 24-year-old now has 14 home runs and 48 RBI to go along with a .271/.314/.483 slash line in the first half. Rafaela was a top 40 overall prospect in baseball coming into last season and had some good moments, but struggled with consistency and wore down as the season went on. He came into spring training this year with far better plate discipline, and we’re seeing a legitimate breakout of a young star here. Kudos to you if you got early shares in fantasy leagues this year.

Mangum had an 87 mph double and a 64 mph infield single, but that’s kind of his game. He won’t hit the ball overly hard, but he is really hard to strike out and can fly on the bases. If you’re looking for batting average and speed in deeper formats, Mangum can be a solid addition while hitting in the middle of the Rays’ order.