Last week was eventful, and unfortunately, that’s for the wrong reasons. Mike Trout injured his thumb seriously enough that it required surgery, and he’s expected to miss six-to-eight weeks. That’s a ton of lost production in roto leagues, and it’s a big void to fill in head-to-head leagues, too. Trout was off to an amazing start by even his lofty standards, so it’s entirely possible he helped H2H owners bank some wins that will soften the blow of his absence as they patch things together in hopes of a playoff run.

In roto leagues, it’s not as simple as holding down the fort until it really counts (i.e. the playoffs in H2H leagues). There is no easy fix. If you’re languishing in the middle of the standings, you’ll need to shop him and see what you can fetch in roto re-draft leagues. In keeper leagues, keeper rules will dictate whether he’s worth shopping or if you’re stuck waiting things out.

Much like in 2015, mentioning Trout requires the obligatory mention of Bryce Harper. Harper’s also off to a great start to 2017, and like Trout, he made headlines last week. The news isn’t nearly as bad for Harper, though. He was involved in a brawl that was started by Hunter Strickland plunking him.

MLB handed him a four-game suspension, Harper appealed, and the suspension was reduced to three games. Harper’s suspension will conclude after Saturday’s contest, so he’s a full go for next week.

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Notable Matchups

Giants @ Brewers (4), vs. Twins (3)
It’s a double-dose of good news for San Francisco’s hitters next week. First, they play a full seven games. Second, they get a huge park factor upgrade for their offense for their first four games of the week playing at Miller Park.

Brewers vs. Giants (4), @ Diamondbacks (3)
The Brewers, too, play seven games next week. And unlike the Giants that play three games in their run-suppressing park to close out next week, the Brewers final three games of next week are at hitter-friendly Chase Field. Two thumbs up for the Beer Makers boppers next week.

Dodgers vs. Nationals (3), vs. Reds (3)
It’s a mixed bag for the Dodgers’ hitters next week. The good news is that they’re playing all six games at home. They’re tied for the highest wRC+ (123) at home this year with the Yankees and Nationals, per FanGraphs, and they’re slashing .265/.348/.459.

They also face the Reds and their league-worst team ERA for the final three games of the week. The bad news is that they open the week facing Gio Gonzalez, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburg.

Cardinals @ Reds (4), vs. Phillies (3)
The Red Birds are another of the teams playing seven games next week, and the kick things off with the Reds. As I previously noted in the write-up above, Cincinnati has the worst team ERA this year.

Second highest, you ask? Well, that’d be the Phillies. The bats for the Cardinals are in the catbird seat for putting up big numbers next week with the added bonus of playing four games at homer-inflating Great American Ball Park.

Angels @ Tigers (3), @ Astros (3)
The Angels rank 25th in wRC+ (78) on the road this year and are hitting a paltry .221/.305/.352 away from Angel Stadium this season. Those numbers include Trout’s .352/.941/.716 line on the road this year. Yikes.

Their offense is dreadful without Trout, and they look especially vulnerable next week. Expect them to be a popular team to stream against in Trout’s absence.

Diamondbacks vs. Padres (3), vs. Brewers (3)
The humidor at Chase Field isn’t up and running yet, so six games at home look mighty nice for The Snakes. They’ve hit .295/.358/.517 as a team at home, and they aren’t facing the most challenging sextet of probable hurlers next week, either.

Hitter Notes

Jose Bautista (OF/DH – TOR)
Remember when Bautista scuffled out of the gate? That’s a distant memory now. Since May 1, he’s clubbed nine of his 10 homers on the year while hitting .317/.412/.644 with his trademark plate discipline (12.6% BB%) and a palatable strikeout rate (19.3% K%).

The recent return of Josh Donaldson should result in more ducks on the pond for Bautista, and with that, more RBI chances. The suddenly healthy Blue Jays once again look like the high-powered offense most expected they’d be entering the year.

Kendrys Morales (1B/OF/DH – TOR)
I loved Morales entering the year, but he got off to a disappointing start. As I noted with Bautista, the return of Donaldson should result in more RBI opportunities for the heart of the order, and a hot Bautista hitting directly behind Donaldson in the third spot in the order puts two OBP stalwarts in front of Morales, the team’s cleanup hitter. He’s quietly gone on his own heater and hit .295/.351/.580 with six homers in the month of May.

Morales isn’t a threat to steal bases, but he’s more than capable of moving the needle in all for of the other standard scoring categories. He should once again be trusted to start in weekly lineup change leagues.

Devin Mesoraco (C – CIN)
The Reds are carefully handling Mesoraco after he played in only 39 games for them (and three more in the minors) in 2015 and 2016 combined. One noteworthy development is that he started at catcher in back-to-back games twice at the end of last month (May 20th and 21st, and May 29th and 30th). The numbers haven’t been jaw dropping, but Mesoraco has ripped a pair of homers and showcased strong plate discipline (13.6% BB%) while keeping his punch outs in check (19.7% K%).

Eric Thames (1B/OF – MIL)
Thames had been mired in a bit of a slump prior to launching a homer off of Jacob deGrom on Wednesday night, but his plate discipline remained elite, and his strikeout rate failed to surge to alarming levels. He dealt with strep throat and “lower body soreness,” but he’s not a player who should be pushed to the bench or actively shopped.

Gamers in keeper leagues should make note that he’s surpassed 10 games played in the outfield and will remain OF eligible at Yahoo! next year. He’ll need to make another seven appearances in the outfield to retain OF eligibility in ESPN leagues and leagues hosted at other sites that require a 20-games played minimum.

Byron Buxton (OF – MIN)
Buxton has failed to springboard last year’s promising September into a good start this year. Having said that, he’s working walks at an above average clip, and more important to fantasy gamers, he’s been active on the bases of late.

In his last 10 games, he’s stolen five bases. He still has considerable work to do whittling his strikeout rate down to an acceptable level, but at least he’s helping out patient fantasy gamers in one category as he continues to attempt to turn the corner.

Pitcher Notes

Sean Manaea (SP – OAK)
I thoroughly hyped Manaea during draft season, and he “rewarded” my hype with a 5.18 ERA through five starts before he hit the DL. It wasn’t all bad, though. He also had a 1.19 WHIP and 25.7% K%.

Since returning from the DL, he’s been lights out. In four starts, he has a 2.63 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 7.6% BB%, and 29.4% K% in 24 innings. He should be universally owned.

Felix Hernandez (SP – SEA)
King Felix didn’t have any setbacks following a bullpen session earlier in the week, and a simulated game is up next, per Bob Duton of The Tacoma News Tribune. Assuming that goes off without a hitch, a rehab assignment will follow. Hernandez was once one of the game’s elite hurlers, but he tallied a 3.82 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 18.6% K%, and 9.9% BB% last year while continuing his post-peak adjustment to diminished velocity. He’s a name brand, but unless you’re in an AL-only league or an extremely deep mixed league, I don’t believe he’s worth stashing in a DL spot or racing to the wire to claim before seeing him in action in The Show again.

Jameson Taillon (SP – PIT)
First of all, and most importantly, best wishes to Jameson Taillon. The young right-hander received the type of news no one wants to hear, but he shared this tweet which revealed the type of positive person and fighter he is, and he’s undergone successful surgery for suspected testicular cancer. He’s already made one rehab start spanning three innings at the Double-A level, and he’ll make his next rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis tonight, according to Pirates beat reporter for MLB.com Adam Berry.

Jose Berrios (SP – MIN)
The 23-year-old prized young righty was knocked around in 14 starts for the Twins last year, but he’s shined this year. He didn’t break camp in Minnesota’s rotation, and he went down to Triple-A Rochester and shoved it down hitters’ throats, recording a 1.13 ERA (2.60 FIP and 3.30 xFIP, according to FanGraphs), 0.81 WHIP, 5.3% BB%, and 25.7% K% in a half-dozen starts totaling 39.2 innings. He forced the parent club’s hand, and in four starts (26.2 innings) since being summoned from the minors, he’s fared much better than last year recording a 2.70 ERA (3.82 FIP and 4.29 xFIP), 0.79 WHIP, 7.8% BB%, and 26.5% K%.

Berrios is avoiding barrels yielding just a 9.5% LD% and 23.8% Hard%, and his strikeout is at least partially supported by an above average swinging strike percentage (SwStr%) of 10.5% (10.3% league average). He struggled a bit in his last turn against the Astros, but Houston’s offense is quite good, so cut Berrios some slack.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.