It is vital to look at important fantasy baseball storylines and aspects this week to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates. We have 20 such fantasy baseball storylines for you to monitor. This guide will help you navigate the waiver wire, pinpoint potential streamers and more.
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20 Fantasy Baseball Things to Watch
1. Schedule Notes
- Zero teams play just five games this week.
- The following teams play seven games this week:
- Boston Red Sox vs. COL, vs. TB
- Tampa Bay Rays at DET, at BOS
- Chicago White Sox vs. TOR, vs. CLE
- Cleveland Guardians at HOU at CWS
- Los Angeles Angels vs. TEX, vs. ARI
- Texas Rangers at LAA, at HOU
- Miami Marlins at CIN, at BAL
- Cincinnati Reds vs. MIA, vs. COL
- Arizona Diamondbacks at SD, at LAA
- San Diego Padres vs. ARI, vs. PHI
2. Your Standings
With the All-Star Break approaching, we are already past the halfway point of the season. If you are not completely locked in on where you are in your standings, now is the time to do a deep dive.
You should be looking at what categories you can gain the most points in and which you can lose points in. At this point in the season, you should be adjusting your strategies around lineups and FAAB to best take advantage of where you are in the standings.
3. Brandon Woodruff (SP – MIL)
Brandon Woodruff made his first start in the Majors since 2023 on Sunday. He was really good in the start as well, throwing six innings and allowing just one run, two hits and no walks while striking out eight in the victory over the Marlins.
Woodruff will have another start versus the Nationals on Saturday. It will be important to see how he looks after such a long layoff and if he can continue to go deep into games.
4. Yu Darvish (SP – SD)
Yu Darvish is expected to return this week for a two-start week against the Diamondbacks and the Phillies. Darvish has yet to pitch in the Majors this year because of injury, and he only threw 81.2 innings last season. He only had one Minor League rehab assignment, going four innings, so we need to see not only how he looks, but if he has built up enough stamina to go deep enough to win games
5. More Pitching Prospects Getting Sent Down
To make room for Woodruff and Darvish, the Brewers and Padres sent down Logan Henderson and Stephen Kolek, respectively. There may be more pitching prospects sent down this week as teams look to keep them on schedule heading into the All-Star break.
6. Colson Montgomery (SS – CWS)
Colson Montgomery made his debut last week for the White Sox. He is a top prospect who has struggled in his last couple of seasons in the Minors. He has power and speed, but struggles to make consistent contact. We need to see if he can keep the strikeouts in check because he will play a lot and be able to accumulate if he can.
7. Ha-Seong Kim (SS – TB)
Ha-Seong Kim made his season debut after spending the first half of the season on the injured list (IL) rehabbing from offseason surgery. Kim has a ton of speed upside down in Tampa, and the park will help his power, but it is hard to know what the impact of the surgery will be on that power. He is also dealing with a calf issue, which we will need to monitor.
8. The Red Sox Lineup
The Red Sox are expecting to get Masataka Yoshida back this week, which will be good for the team, but will lead to a roster crunch. With Roman Anthony up, there are four outfielders already on the roster and not much room for Yoshida to play. We need to see who is going to lose playing time or whether Yoshida will be on the bench.
9. Orioles Catchers
On June 19th, the Orioles lost Adley Rutschman to an oblique injury. Since then, they have had three more catchers get injured, with the most recent being Gary Sanchez. They are now rolling with the newly acquired Jacob Stallings and Alex Jackson behind the plate. Top prospect Samuel Basallo is in the Minors and could come up if they decide he is ready to catch.
10. Jurickson Profar (OF – ATL)
Jurickson Profar has returned from suspension, jumping right back into the Braves’ lineup. He has been impactful already, hitting .250 with two home runs in five games. We need to see if he is going to work his way to the top of the lineup after hitting fourth and fifth in his first few games. Profar led off on Sunday, so that is a good sign.
11-14. Streaming Options
Lucas Giolito (SP – BOS) vs. COL
Lucas Giolito has pitched well as of late and is facing a terrible Rockies team that struggles when they go on the road.
Dean Kremer (SP – BAL) vs. MIA
Dean Kremer has been great this season at home, throwing 38 innings with a 2.37 ERA, and he gets a bad Miami offense in Camden Yards.
Lance McCullers Jr. (SP – HOU) vs. TEX
Lance McCullers is back from the IL and looked good in his last start. He gets a struggling Texas lineup at home.
Brayan Bello (SP – BOS) vs. COL
Brayan Bello has turned things around recently and faces a bad Rockies team at home.
15-20. Two-Start Options
Jeffrey Springs (SP – ATH) at ATL, at TOR
Jeffrey Springs has been up and down this season, but he has been great recently and fantastic on the road this season. He has a good matchup at the start of the week versus a struggling Braves offense and a tougher one at the end of the week versus a hot Blue Jays lineup.
Jose Soriano (SP – LAA) vs. TEX, vs. ARI
Jose Soriano has been decent this season, but the recent underlying numbers are pretty good for him. He has a great matchup at the beginning of the week versus a struggling Rangers offense and a tougher one at the end of the week versus a good Diamondbacks team.
Nick Martinez (SP, RP – CIN) & Brady Singer (SP – CIN) vs. MIA, vs. COL
Nick Martinez and Brady Singer have both been mediocre this season, but you really can’t ask for much better matchups than these. The Rockies and Marlins are two of the worst teams in baseball.
Andre Pallante (SP, RP – STL) vs. WSH, vs. ATL
Andre Pallante has been pretty good over his last three starts, throwing 18 innings with a 1.00 ERA and nine strikeouts. There isn’t a ton of upside because of the lack of strikeouts, but the matchups are good versus two struggling offenses. Pallante presents a good opportunity to pick up a win or two.
Andrew Heaney (SP – PIT) at KC, at MIN
Before a couple of road starts in the middle of June, Andrew Heaney was having a fantastic season. He has been great in Pittsburgh, posting a 2.53 ERA in 46.1 innings at home, but both of these starts are on the road. However, they are teams that have struggled offensively over the last month, so this is a pretty good time to use him.
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