Fantasy Baseball News

Hanser Alberto went 3-for-4 with a homer in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Fantasy Impact: Alberto has been a nice surprise for the Orioles this season hitting .301 over 303 at-bats. But the 26-year-old does not provide much power as that was just his sixth home run of the year. Alberto is only worth owning in AL-only formats.

Aaron Brooks took the loss against the Diamondbacks on Monday, giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings, striking out one and walking one in a 6-3 defeat for the Orioles.

Fantasy Impact: Brooks was picked up by the Orioles for pitching depth but has struggled with his new team. The 29-year-old has a 6.00 ERA, a 1.56 WHIP over nine innings and is not worth owning in fantasy.

Keston Hiura was scratched from Monday's lineup against the Reds due to left quadriceps tightness. (Source: Milwaukee Brewers on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hiura will be held out of Monday's game and is currently day-to-day with left quadriceps tightness. Tyler Saladino draws the start and will bat eighth in Hiura's place.

Tyler Mahle was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Monday. (Source: Cincinnati Reds on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Mahle suffered the injury during his start Friday against the Cardinals. The injury doesn't appear to be a particularly severe one, as he was able to throw on Sunday. Sal Romano was recalled from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move.

Nick Senzel (hamstring) returns to the starting lineup Monday against the Brewers. (Source: Cincinnati Reds on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Senzel has missed the last three games due to a hamstring injury. He will return to center-field and bat lead off Monday.

Max Scherzer (shoulder) felt good after a bullpen session Monday (Source: Byron Kerr on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Scherzer has been out of action for two weeks due to an inflamed bursa sac in his shoulder. His exact return date has not been announced, but could return as soon as Thursday.

The Twins have placed C.J. Cron back on the injured list with the thumb injury that landed him there before the All-Star Break. (Source: Dustin Morse on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The move comes as a bit of a surprise as there weren't any indications that he was heading back to the IL. Previously, inflammation was the issue so owners will have to hope some additional rest will get him back off the IL shortly once eligible. With news coming ahead of the first games of the week, owners will want to adjust accordingly.

Braves outfielder Austin Riley was on the bench again for Sunday's win over the Washington Nationals, the second time in the last four days that he has taken a seat.

Fantasy Impact: Riley burst onto the scene with an incredible display of power earlier in the season, but he has been coming back down to earth for a few weeks now. After batting .226 in June, he is hitting just .170 through the first three weeks of July.

In the seventh inning of Sunday's game against the Cubs, Francisco Mejia sent a solo shot over the right field wall to put the Padres up 2-1. He finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk.

Fantasy Impact: Mejia and fellow backstop, Austin Hedges, have both offered underwhelming hitting performances, leading to a timeshare. If Mejia can build on this solid game, he may earn the starting role.

Mets closer Edwin Diaz struck out two over a scoreless inning in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Fantasy Impact: Diaz now has five straight scoreless appearances after hitting a rough patch before the All-Star break. His ERA is down 4.93 on the year, and he will have to string together several more scoreless outings before he gets it down anywhere close to last year's 1.96 number.

Mets outfielder Michael Conforto went 1-for-5 with a home run in Sunday's loss to the San Francisco Giants. The homer was his 18th of the season.

Fantasy Impact: Conforto now has hits in six of his last seven games and is batting .250 on the season with 18 home runs, 51 runs scored, 49 RBIs, and five stolen bases.

Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins went 2-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's win over the Pirates. The homer was his 21st of the season.

Fantasy Impact: The home run Hoskins hit came in the top of the 11th inning and was the deciding factor in what would be a 2-1 win in 11 innings. Hoskins has gotten off to a slow start to the second half but could be getting ready to go on a hot streak.

Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, two runs scored, and a walk in Sunday's win over the Nationals.

Fantasy Impact: Acuna now has multiple hits in three straight games and is one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last two weeks. He has reached base in 27 consecutive games and stole seven bases over his last six games.

Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Nationals. The homer was his 23rd of the season.

Fantasy Impact: Donaldson continues to produce in the middle of the Atlanta lineup and is now hitting .275 with eight home runs in 16 July games after hitting just .236 with eight home runs in 28 contests in June.

Marlins starter Jordan Yamamoto allowed five earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers.

Fantasy Impact: Most of the damage against Yamamoto on Sunday came via the two home runs he allowed, and he ran up a high pitch count that prevented him from pitching deep into the game. This was the first bump in the road for Yamamoto this season, and he will take a 2.60 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 38 innings into his next start against the Diamondbacks.

Braves starter Kevin Gausman allowed one run on five hits and no walks while striking out eight over seven innings in Sunday's win over the Nationals. The win brings him to 3-5 on the season.

Fantasy Impact: Gausman was making his first start for the Braves since June 10 due to plantar fasciitis, and he looked much better than he did prior to the injury. Before landing on the injured list, Gausman had allowed 17 earned runs over his last 8 1/3 innings. He will now take a 5.71 ERA into his next start against the Phillies, though it is worth noting that he had a 4.33 ERA before two disastrous outings bumped that number up to 6.21.

Nationals pitcher Joe Ross allowed three earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six over 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Braves on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Ross was making a spot start for the Nationals with Max Scherzer still on the injured list and is unlikely to make another one. He will either take a 9.45 ERA back to the bullpen or head down to the minor leagues once Scherzer returns later this week.

Mets starter Steven Matz allowed two earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out six over six innings in a no-decision against the Giants on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Matz was able to get stretched out a bit more in this start after only going four innings in his previous start against the Twins. He will now take a 4.75 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 91 innings into his next start against the Pirates.

Drew Smyly allowed one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings in a no-decision against the Pirates in his Phillies debut on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Smyly last pitched in the big leagues on June 18 for the Rangers, and he had an 8.42 ERA over 13 appearances prior to Sunday’s start. His next start will likely come against the Braves at home, and it is pretty hard to trust him for that outing despite his strong performance on Sunday.

Tyler Saladino went 1-for-3 with a grand slam and a walk in Sunday's victory over the Diamondbacks.

Fantasy Impact: Saladino tied the game in the fourth with a grand slam to left field. The homer was his first extra-base hit of the season, and the first grand slam of his career. Despite the career-day, Saladino is slashing .115/.148/.173 through 52 at-bats this season.