Chicago Cubs

David Bote went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the Cubs' 7-3 win over the White Sox on Wednesday.

Fantasy Impact: Bote now has nine home runs and an .840 OPS on the year. He doesn't play with enough regularity to hold mixed league value, but he's usable in NL-only leagues.

Javier Baez went 1-for-3 with a single, a steal, and a run scored in the Cubs' 7-3 win over the White Sox on Wednesday.

Fantasy Impact: This was just Baez's third steal of the year, making him far off pace to match last season's total of 21. He's still an elite player even without the steals, but it would be nice to see him pick up the pace as we move towards the second half.

Willson Contreras went 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI in the Cubs' 7-3 win over the White Sox on Wednesday.

Fantasy Impact: Contreras is beginning to heat up, with three straight multi-hit games. He also has 15 home runs and a 146 wRC+ on the year. He is a top-five catcher and a must-start player.

Jon Lester allowed three runs on seven hits over 5 2/3rd innings in the Cubs' 7-3 win over the White Sox on Wednesday. He walked one and struck out six while improving to 6-5.

Fantasy Impact: This was something of a bounce back for Lester, who has been getting hammered as of late. Still, he failed to notch a quality start for the third straight outing. His next start comes Monday at Atlanta.

Kyle Schwarber went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the Cubs' 3-1 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday.

Fantasy Impact: Schwarber has been raking in June, with a .941 OPS and a .344 ISO this month. He has taken well to the leadoff spot in Chicago, having hit 11 of his 16 homers atop the Cubs' order. Schwarber should be started in all formats during this hot streak.

Cole Hamels allowed one run on six hits over seven innings in the Cubs' 3-1 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday. He walked two and struck out eight in the no-decision.

Fantasy Impact: Hamels has been rolling lately, with one earned run combined over his last five starts. He is looking like a top-25 pitcher right now, and should be started in all formats. His next start comes Sunday vs. the Mets.

Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) has an impingement that could keep him out until after the All-Star break. (Source: Jesse Rogers on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hendricks was initially diagnosed with shoulder inflammation when he was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, and he expressed confidence that he was expecting a brief absence. Further testing has revealed a more serious injury, though, and the Cubs could opt to play it safe and delay his return until after the All-Star break. An additional update on his recovery plan should be revealed soon.

Jose Quintana allowed two runs on six hits over five innings in the Cubs' 3-2 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. He walked three and struck out three in the no-decision.

Fantasy Impact: While not a terrible start from a run prevention perspective, Quintana again failed to notch a quality start. He also continues to provide underwhelming strikeout numbers, and now has a 7.75 K/9 on the year. Quintana is fine as a back-end rotation piece, but doesn't seem to have much upside beyond that at this point. His next start comes Saturday vs. the Mets.

Craig Kimbrel will make his first appearance with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday. (Source: Patrick Mooney on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Cubs have said they want Kimbrel to pitch in five or so games before joining the big league team. Fantasy owners can expect to start using him sometime early next week for now.

Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless ninth and struck out two for his eighth save in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Dodgers on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: Strop is serving as the Cubs' closer in the interim, but will lose this job upon Craig Kimbrel's arrival. Owners should milk Strop for all he's worth for now, but know that the value is going to be short-lived.

Anthony Rizzo went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Dodgers on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: Rizzo provided all the offense for Chicago in this one, and it was all Yu Darvish needed on a dominant night. Rizzo has homered on back-to-back days and now has 19 homers along with a .279/.389/.563 triple slash on the year.

Yu Darvish allowed one run on two hits over seven innings in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Dodgers on Saturday. He walked one and struck out ten in the no-decision.

Fantasy Impact: Vintage Darvish came out to play today, as this was by far his best start of the season. His only mistake was a solo home run to Alex Verdugo. It's hard to declare Darvish back after one good start, but he's definitely worth picking back up in leagues where he was dropped. His next start comes Friday vs. the Mets.

Kris Bryant went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the Cubs' 5-3 loss to the Dodgers on Friday.

Fantasy Impact: Bryant has now homered on back-to-back days, his first two homers of June. The 27-year-old has gone through peaks and valleys this season, but is still a must-start option at the hot corner.

Jason Heyward went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the Cubs' 10-3 loss to the Rockies on Tuesday.

Fantasy Impact: Heyward's April power binge is far behind him, and this was just his second homer of the month. He doesn't have much value outside of deep leagues or points leagues. His 13.2% walk rate sets him apart in points or OBP formats.

Carlos Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the Cubs' 5-1 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: This was Gonzalez's first homer with the Cubs and his third on the year. He is no longer the elite outfielder he once was, nor is he a viable fantasy option outside of NL-Only leagues.

Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth inning while striking out one to earn his fifth save in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Astros on Wednesday.

Fantasy Impact: Cishek allowed two runs while failing to record an out in his last outing against the Reds, so this was a step in the right direction, without question. With Pedro Strop ready to return, Cishek's days as the closer in Chicago could be numbered. But for now, he remains a viable option in any fantasy bullpen.

Addison Russell went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the Cubs' 6-5 loss to the Astros on Monday.

Fantasy Impact: Russell now has three home runs and a .289 AVG in 49 PA this season. He's gotten regular playing time with Ben Zobrist on the restricted list, and given Russell's performance he could easily usurp Zobrist's every day role.

Tyler Chatwood pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save of the year in the Cubs' 8-6 win over the Reds on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: Steve Cishek was unavailable, and had blown the game a day earlier, so Joe Maddon elected to go with the surprisingly reliable Chatwood. Don't let Chatwood's 2.76 ERA fool you; he has a 14.8% walk rate and a 4.97 SIERA this season. That's hardly major league material, much less someone to trust in the ninth inning.

Albert Almora went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two runs scored in the Cubs' 8-6 win over the Reds on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: Almora has been on fire in May, with five home runs and an .824 OPS in 85 PA this month. With Jason Heyward floundering at the plate, Almora could certainly work his way up in the order. The underlying skills and track record suggest it won't last, but it doesn't hurt to ride Almora while he's hot.

Mike Montgomery delivered five scoreless innings in relief in the Cubs' 4-1 win over the Marlins on Thursday. He allowed three hits, two walks, and struck out three while improving to 1-0.

Fantasy Impact: Montgomery relieved starter Yu Darvish, who was wild and ineffective in four innings. Montgomery has history of success in a starting role, and would probably be the next man up if a rotation spot were to open up in Chicago. Unfortunately for him, Chicago has a rotation full of well paid, and mostly well performing veterans, meaning he won't get a chance unless injury occurs. For now he has very little fantasy value.