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Jon Heasley KC SP
Royals' Jonathan Heasley: Roughed up for fourth loss
3h agoHeasley (1-4) gave up seven earned runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out three over 3.2 innings to take the loss in an 8-3 defeat to the Rangers on Tuesday.
Heasley had his worst start of the year at the hands of the Rangers who chased him from the game before the end of the fourth inning. The 25-year-old rookie only mustered six swings-and-misses over the course of his start and was taken deep by Marcus Semien for a three-run shot in the third. The Royals' number eight prospect is unlikely to earn many wins this season due to his inflated 5.20 ERA and weak supporting weak lineup which is now without slugger Salvador Perez (thumb). Heasley is tentatively slated for a tough matchup in his next start Monday at Houston.
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Jon Gray TEX SP
Rangers' Jon Gray: Strikes out eight in win
3h agoGray (4-3) gave up one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out eight over seven innings to pick up his fourth win of the year in an 8-3 victory over the Royals on Tuesday.
Gray was very sharp in this outing, only giving up one earned run on a single off the bat of Bobby Witt Jr. The 30-year-old veteran now has an ERA of 2.64 in June and lowered his season-long number to 3.89 with the performance. Gray took advantage of the struggling Royals lineup that is depleted from the loss of Salvador Perez (thumb) to move to 4-3 on the season. His next start is expected to be Sunday against the Mets, where he will be defending his newly-achieved winning record.
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Corey Seager TEX SS
Rangers' Corey Seager: Cashes in a pair
3h agoSeager went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI double and a run scored in an 8-3 win over the Royals on Tuesday.
Seager helped the Rangers knock opposing starter Jonathan Heasley from the game in the fourth inning by doubling to left center to cash in a pair of runs. He is a career .290 hitter but is only hitting .231 in 281 at-bats this season. The everyday shortstop appears to have traded in some of his ability to hit for average in exchange for power, as he has 15 long balls on the year. The most he has ever hit in a season was 26 in 2016.
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Marcus Semien TEX 2B
Rangers' Marcus Semien: Homers in four-RBI night
3h agoSemien went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double and a sacrifice fly in an 8-3 win over the Royals on Tuesday. He also came in to score three times.
Semien had an excellent night at the plate and came just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. His home run in the third inning off Jonathan Heasley gave him number eight on the season and his four-RBI night moved him to 32 on the year. Semien got off to a miserable start in his new Texas home this season, but he has put together a solid month of June, with six home runs, a .270 average and six stolen bases. The proven veteran hitter appears to be finding a groove and could make a solid impact moving forward in line with his performances of years past.
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Vinnie Pasquantino KC 1B
Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Hitless in debut
3h agoPasquantino went 0-4 in an 8-3 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday.
The highly-touted top-100 prospect had a tough first game against big-league pitching, going hitless and grounding into a double-play while slotted in as the designated hitter. Pasquantino should see plenty of at-bats with Salvador Perez (thumb) out of the lineup due to injury and Carlos Santana having being traded to the Mariners. The Royals are not in a competitive state this season, so it looks like they will let their young players get plenty of at-bats.
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Trent Grisham SD CF
Padres' Trent Grisham: No hits in return
4h agoGrisham (shoulder) went 0-for-4 with an RBI in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Grisham knocked in the Padres' third run with a groundout in the fifth inning. He missed two games with shoulder soreness, but it was not deemed a significant issue. The outfielder had started to pick up the pace a bit prior to the injury, but he still owns a lackluster .188/.287/.321 slash line with six home runs, 28 RBI, 29 runs scored and two stolen bases across 281 plate appearances.
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Laremy Tunsil HOU OT
Texans' Laremy Tunsil: Back from thumb injury
6h agoTunsil (thumb) participated at the Texans' mandatory minicamp earlier in June, Mark Lane of USA Today reports.
Tunsil underwent thumb surgery in mid-October and was originally expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks, but he ended up missing the rest of the 2021 season. The 27-year-old is now healthy heading into 2022 and will reclaim his starting role at left tackle.
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Deshaun Watson CLE QB
Browns' Deshaun Watson: In midst of hearing
6h agoWatson's hearing in front of the NFL and NFLPA's jointly appointed disciplinary officer began Tuesday, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
The NFL is at the tail end of its 15-month long investigation into Watson's legal situation, which included 24 civil suits for allegations of sexual misconduct. Of those, 20 were settled last Tuesday while four are pending, with one of them amending its wording Monday to name the Texans as a defendant. According to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, the league is seeking an indefinite suspension which would last at least one year, but there remains no timetable for the disciplinary officer to make a decision on the matter.
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Daelin Hayes BAL LB
Ravens' Daelin Hayes: Gets back on field
11h agoHayes (knee) participated in the Ravens' recent mandatory minicamp, Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun reports.
Hayes was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 Draft and was a healthy scratch the first two weeks of the season. He was injured in his NFL debut during a Week 3 contest against the Lions and missed the rest of the season. Now fully recovered, Hayes will work to earn a role in the Ravens' linebacker corps for 2022.
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T.J. Vasher DAL WR
Cowboys' T.J. Vasher: Takes part in offseason programs
11h agoVasher (knee) participated in OTAs and minicamp, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Vasher joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech last year, but he missed the season due to a meniscus injury suffered in college. Vasher was able to shine during practice, something he'll work to continue to do in training camp as he tries to earn a spot on the Cowboys' 2022 roster.
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Thaddeus Moss CIN TE
Bengals' Thaddeus Moss: Gets in work
11h agoMoss (hamstring) took part in the Bengals' offseason program.
Moss suffered a hamstring injury during pre-game warmups for the Bengals' Week 12 contest against the Steelers last season. The injury not only cost him his NFL debut, but also the rest of the season. Now healthy, Moss will work to earn a spot on the Bengals' squad in 2022.
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T.J. Edwards PHI LB
Eagles' T.J. Edwards: Ready for 2022 season
13h agoEdwards (forearm) is fully recovered from his forearm injury suffered in the Eagles' wild-card loss to the Buccaneers, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Edwards played a significant role on the Eagles' defense beginning in Week 9 last season, where he played at least 88 percent of the defensive snaps from that point on. Although Edwards is not expected to keep that prominent of a role, he should still be a main fixture of the Eagles' defense in 2022.
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Alec Burks NY PG
Pistons' Alec Burks: Salary-dumped to Pistons
9h agoBurks (foot), along with Nerlens Noel, two second-round pick and cash, was traded Tuesday from the Knicks to the Pistons, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
New York is clearing cap space to pursue a near-max contract for Jalen Brunson. With the Pistons, Burks will likely be one of the first guards off the bench. He appeared in 81 games last season and averaged 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.6 minutes.
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Nerlens Noel NY C
Pistons' Nerlens Noel: Traded to Pistons
9h agoNoel (foot), along with Alec Burks, was traded Tuesday from the Knicks to the Pistons, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. The Knicks are also sending two future second-round picks and cash.
New York is clearing cap space to make a plan on Jalen Brunson, so Noel and Burks are headed to Detroit in a salary dump. Noel will be competing for center minutes with young bigs Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duran. Kelly Olynyk is also in the mix, and it remains to be seen if the Pistons intend to keep Marvin Bagley. Noel appeared in just 25 games last season due to primarily knee and foot issues.
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Taurean Prince MIN PF
Timberwolves' Taurean Prince: Agrees to two-year extension
11h agoPrince and the Timberwolves agreed Tuesday to a two-year, $16 million contract extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Last year marked Prince's first with the Timberwolves. He started the year slowly but picked things up in the second half and averaged 10.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.4 minutes across his final 32 regular-season appearances, notably hitting 1.8 threes per game at 41.2 percent during that stretch. He should fall into a similar role next season.
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James Bouknight CHA SG
Hornets' James Bouknight: Undergoes minor surgery on finger
14h agoBouknight underwent surgery to repair a tendon on his right pinky finger Monday and will be sidelined for Summer League, Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports
Bouknight made 31 NBA appearances as a rookie, posting 4.6 points across 9.8 minutes per game. However, he excelled at the G League level, averaging 21.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks across seven appearances with the Greensboro Swarm. The surgery isn't expected to impact his availability for the regular season, but his absence from Summer League may hinder his ability to carve out a role to start the year.
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Ivica Zubac LAC C
Clippers' Ivica Zubac: Signs three-year extension
14h agoZubac and the Clippers agreed Tuesday to a three-year, $33 million extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Clippers declined Zubac's $7.5 million team option for 2022-23, clearing the way for the center's new deal. Last season, the 2016 second-round pick averaged 10.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.5 steals across 24.4 minutes per game -- all career highs.
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Tony Bradley CHI C
Bulls' Tony Bradley: Opts into player option for 2022-23
14h agoBradley exercised his $2 million player option for the 2022-23 campaign, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Bradley made 55 appearances last year -- his first with Chicago -- and averaged 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds across 10.0 minutes per game. Currently, the 2017 first-round pick projects to be one of numerous backups to Nikola Vucevic. However, the Bulls are rumored to be in the market for frontcourt depth this offseason, so things are certainly subject to change before the regular season starts.
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Anthony Cirelli TB C
Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Will require surgery
18h agoCirelli suffered an AC joint sprain during the playoffs which will require surgery, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.
The Lightning have yet to release an expected timetable for Cirelli's recovery, so at this point it isn't clear if he'll be ready in time for training camp in September. The 24-year-old forward tallied 17 goals and 43 points through 76 regular-season appearances before adding three goals and eight points through 23 playoff contests this year.
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Brayden Point TB C
Lightning's Brayden Point: Dealt with torn quad
18h agoPoint was dealing with a "significant tear" in his quad toward the end of the playoffs. He's expected to make a full recovery in a "few weeks," Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.
Point missed 14 of the Lightning's last 16 playoff games due to his quad injury, which likely at least partially contributed to Tampa Bay's inability to get past the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Finals. Point, who racked up 28 goals and 58 points through 66 regular-season appearances before adding five points through nine playoff contests this season, should be fully recovered well ahead of training camp in September.
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Kasper Bjorkqvist PIT RW
Penguins' Kasper Bjorkqvist: Headed back to Finland
19h agoBjorkqvist agreed to terms on a two-year deal with Finnish club Karpat on Tuesday, Seth Rorabaugh of TribLive.com reports.
Bjorkqvist played in only six games for the Penguins this season in which he generated one goal, eight shots and nine hits while averaging just 8:22 of ice time. The 24-year-old winger is slated to be a restricted free agent this offseason, which means the Penguins could retain his NHL rights by giving him a qualifying offer but fantasy players shouldn't be expecting him to play in North America for at least the next two years.
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Nikita Kucherov TB RW
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Dealt with knee problem
19h agoKucherov was hampered by a meniscus injury in the postseason but was able to play through it, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports Tuesday.
After getting hurt in Game 3, Kucherov managed one goal on 10 shots while averaging 21:55 of ice time in the final three games of the Stanley Cup Finals. During the regular season, the Russian winger was limited to just 47 appearances which saw him post his lowest goal total since his rookie campaign back in 2013-14. If he can stay healthy, Kucherov should be capable of pushing for the 40-goal mark next year and providing top-end fantasy value.
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Ryan McDonagh TB D
Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Hampered by finger injury
19h agoMcDonagh has been dealing with what general manager Julian Brisebois described as a "mangled" finger but should make a full recovery, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports Tuesday.
McDonagh managed just five points in 23 postseason contests and was held to just one assist in the Stanley Cup Finals. At this point in his career, the 33-year-old McDonagh probably shouldn't be expected to put up 40-plus points but should still offer decent mid-range fantasy value with his ceiling likely in the 25-30 range.
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Pierre-Edouard Bellemare TB RW
Lightning's Pierre-Edouard Bellemare: Plays through knee injury
19h agoBellemare was dealing with a meniscus injury during the postseason, Joe Smith of The Athleticreports Tuesday.
Considering Bellemare played 23 postseason games while dealing with this knee issue, fantasy players shouldn't be expecting this to carry into next season. The veteran center is under contract for one more season with the Bolts and should continue to fill a bottom-six role where he is capable of offering decent mid-range fantasy value.