Fantasy Baseball News

Kenley Jansen picked up his 19th save of the year on Friday night, striking out two in a perfect ninth as the Dodgers beat the Mets 5-2.

Fantasy Impact: He needed just 12 pitches. Jansen struggled early this year and his velocity was down, but he has been himself lately. The 30-year-old closer hasn't allowed a hit over his past six innings, with a 5/2 K/BB ratio during that span. He's arguably the most valuable reliever in fantasy baseball from here on out.

Alex Wood was dominant until the sixth inning when he allowed a two-run home run to Jose Bautista. Wood ended up going six innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out seven.

Fantasy Impact: Wood’s ERA is down to 4.13 while trending in the right direction. The southpaw will face the Cubs at home next week in a rematch of the 2017 NLCS.

Roberto Osuna has accepted a 75-game suspension for violating MLB's Joint Domestic Violence Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. He will be eligible to return on August 5, 2018. (Source: MLB PR on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Fantasy owners finally have come clarity with regards to the situation, but it's obviously not great news for Osuna owners. Ryan Tepera should continue to get saves in Osuna's absence. If you own Osuna and have the room to stash him, you might as well, as he'll likely contribute about six weeks of saves at the end of the season.

Jesse Winker went 1-for-2 with a grand slam and a walk in Thursday's win over the Cubs.

Fantasy Impact: Winker has just four home runs on the season but does have a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Better things are likely ahead for the youngster, so he's worth owning (but perhaps not starting yet) in most fantasy leagues.

Matt Harvey allowed two runs on five hits and a walk over six innings in Thursday's win over the Cubs. He struck out six.

Fantasy Impact: This was Harvey's best start in awhile, but he still has a 4.79 ERA with the Reds. Hopefully, this start was a sign of him turning the corner, and he'll keep it going in his next start against the Braves.

Todd Frazier went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run on Thursday against the Rockies.

Fantasy Impact: Frazier benefited from the thin air, and now has eight home runs on the year. His mediocre power isn't enough to make up for his sub-par batting average (just .225), so he's better left on fantasy benches, except when he visits Colorado.

Steven Matz allowed five earned runs on eight hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings in Thursday's loss to the Rockies. He struck out six.

Fantasy Impact: It's hard to blame Matz too much for faltering in the thin air in Coors Field, especially since he was coming off five very good starts in a row. Chalk this one up to the location, and start him as usual against the Pirates next week.

Zack Godley allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks in the Diamondbacks' win over the Pirates on Thursday. He struck out five and moved to 8-5 with the win.

Fantasy Impact: Don't look now, but Godley has won three straight starts and allowed two earned runs in four of his last five starts. He's beginning to show signs of turning things around, and should be started with confidence next week against Miami.

Clayton Kershaw (back) will start for the Dodgers on Saturday versus the Mets. (Source: Andy McCullough on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Kershaw had originally been scheduled to pitch a rehab game for Triple-A Oklahoma City, but there’s rain in the forecast now. It means Kershaw will return from the DL without any minor league tune ups. In 49 innings this year he has put up a 2.76 ERA. Expectations should be tempered, but Kershaw is obviously worth inserting into fantasy lineups right away.

Kevin Gausman allowed two runs on four hits and four walks over six innings on Thursday against the Nationals. He struck out three and did not factor into the decision.

Fantasy Impact: The outing was adequate but not overly impressive, which can pretty much sum up Gausman's entire season. Gausman has essentially been stuck in neutral for several starts - too good to drop but not good enough to start with regularity. He'll look to get back on track in a tough matchup with the Mariners in his next start.

The Atlanta Braves have placed starting pitcher Mike Soroka on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. (Source: Atlanta Braves on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: It’s Soroka’s second time on the DL this season. He previously missed a month with a right shoulder strain, so the Braves will probably be cautious wit him. It might explain why he wasn’t at his best in his most recent start.

Carlos Martinez allowed seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks over four innings on Thursday against the Brewers. He struck out three and fell to 3-4 on the season.

Fantasy Impact: On the bright side, Martinez walked just two batters, after walking at least five in each of his previous three starts. On the down side, there was everything else. Martinez has been all over the place since returning from the disabled list, and he should probably be benched until he figures things out.

Aaron Sanchez was removed from Thursday's game against the Angels with a jammed finger. Prior to his removal, he had allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout in one inning pitched.

Fantasy Impact: Sanchez reportedly injured his finger before the game, so give him a mulligan for his poor effort. He claims that he will be able to make his next start, so for now, owners shouldn't necessarily take any action.

Kyle Seager went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run as the Mariners lost on Thursday.

Fantasy Impact: Seager had a successful series versus New York, going 3-for-9 with a home run, a double, two RBI, and three runs scored. For the season, he is now hitting .228 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI.

Joe Panik went 2-for-3 with two doubles in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Padres. Panik is now slashing .247/.330/.348 through 158 at-bats.

Fantasy Impact: Since returning from his thumb injury on June 1, Panik is hitting .221 with 11 walks, five doubles, and three RBI to go along with only four strikeouts. Panik's BABIP is currently 50 points below his career average, so we should expect to see some positive regression towards the mean in the coming weeks. If he's on the waiver wire and you need help in the middle infield, Panik makes for a good stash candidate.

Mark Melancon struck out one batter and gave up one hit en route to his first save on the season.

Fantasy Impact: It's unknown right now what the Giants plan to do with their high-paid closer after Bruce Bochy named Sam Dyson as the 9th inning man just days ago following Hunter Strickland's self-inflicted injury. Dyson had pitched in three straight games, but gave up two runs in his last outing which could leave the door open to Bochy going back to Melancon. It's been an injury-filled campaign for Melancon since he signed with the Giants and assuming health is no longer an issue, it's possible the former All-Star could return to relevance in fantasy circles.

Madison Bumgarner picked up his first win of the season against the Padres pitching eight innings and striking out eight batters. He only gave up three hits and walked two.

Fantasy Impact: The Giants workhorse looks to be rounding into form and has now pitched back-to-back games where he threw over 100 pitches. Although the numbers look dominant, his defense did save him from at least one earned run after Jose Pirela ignored his third base coach and was thrown out at home plate. His next start should come against Colorado in San Francisco.

Brandon Belt went 1-for-4 with a single a strikeout in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Padres. Belt's slash line now sits at .304/.398/.537 through 214 at-bats on the year.

Fantasy Impact: Belt continues to produce in the middle of the Giants lineup. With McCutchen finding his groove and Posey's consistency, he'll continue to see plenty of opportunities with runners on base.

Aroldis Chapman allowed one walk and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning in the Yankees' 4-3 win over the Mariners on Thursday, earning his 22nd save of the season.

Fantasy Impact: Chapman is now second in the league in saves, and has nearly unmatched peripherals. The injury scare he suffered a couple of weeks ago appears to be a non-issue, and he's one of the - if not the single - top option for saves in the game.

Buster Posey went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and walk in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Padres. The RBI was Posey's 26th so far on the season to go along with a .290 batting average through 231 at-bats.

Fantasy Impact: June has been a bit of a down month for Posey so far, posting a batting average of .266. That being said, that batting average and an OPS of .769 would be great for most other catchers, which only speaks to how great Posey has been in his career.