Fantasy Baseball

Sanchez suffered a groin strain in Sunday's game against the Rays and is likely headed to the disabled list, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

He will get an MRI on Monday, and the move to the DL will likely be made once those results are obtained. Sanchez went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout before grounding into a double play in the top of the 10th inning. He was then replaced by Austin Romine behind the dish in the bottom of the 10th inning, so he presumably suffered the injury running to first base on the groundout. Romine should serve as the primary catcher while Sanchez is out, and Kyle Higashioka will likely be recalled from Triple-A to serve as the backup if Sanchez does indeed land on the disabled list.

Lopez was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.

Lopez had been up with the Padres as the starting catcher since the start of May with Austin Hedges out with an elbow injury. He failed to impress, hitting a miserable .180/.263/.290 and striking out 36 percent of the time. With Hedges back from the disabled list, Lopez will head back to the minors.

Alfaro is not in the lineup Sunday against the Nationals, Matt Gelb of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Alfaro had worked his way into a full-time starting role in the month of May after starting the year in a timeshare with Andrew Knapp. The timeshare seems to have returned, as Knapp has started six of the Phillies' last 13 games.

Martin is not starting Sunday against the Angels.

Martin is hitting just .147 over his last 11 games. Luke Maile will start in his place Sunday.

Hedges (elbow) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Sunday and is catching and hitting eighth against the Giants.

Hedges hasn't played since April after being shut down with elbow tendinitis. He was hitting just .173/.235/.293 prior to the injury. Raffy Lopez was optioned to Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.

Herrmann went 2-for-3 with two walks and a run in a win over the Red Sox on Saturday in his first official at-bats since being reinstated from the disabled list last Monday.

An oblique injury had felled the veteran since May 30, and Saturday's start marked only the second for Herrmann since being added to the 40-man roster on May 27. The 30-year-old is expected to give Mike Zunino the occasional breather, but his playing time should remain relatively sparse as long as the latter is healthy.

Martinez went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 8-2 win over Milwaukee.

That's now six home runs in June for Martinez, with 11 total in 2018. His three-RBI day gives him 47 for the year, surpassing last season's total of 46. The 29-year-old is solidifying himself as a real threat in this Cardinals lineup, slashing .300/.373/.492 with 28 extra-base hits in 260 at-bats.

Gurriel went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a grand slam home run in Sunday's 11-3 win over the Royals.

Gurriel fueled a second-inning onslaught, doubling to lead off the frame before hitting his first grand slam of the season to finish off an eight-run explosion. This marks the second consecutive game with a homer for Gurriel, who is hitting a robust .342 for the month of June.

Goldschmidt will sit for just the third time this season Sunday against the Pirates.

Since his last day off nearly a month ago, Goldschmidt has been on a tear, hitting .386 with a 1.338 OPS and 11 home runs in 22 games. Daniel Descalso will play first base Sunday.

Hicks is starting at first base and batting sixth in Sunday's game against Cleveland.

Hicks got a breather Saturday to clear his mind a bit, as he has just one hit in his last 16 at-bats. He's still slashing a respectable .279/.323/.436 this season and will look to get rolling again Sunday.

Bird is not in the lineup Sunday against the Rays.

Bird has been poor since coming off the disabled list in late May, hitting just .193/.295/.398. That line is not far off the .190/.288/.422 line he posted in 48 games for the Yankees last season, not a productive enough performance for a first baseman. Neil Walker will start in his place Sunday.

Gurriel went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over the Royals.

The long ball, a fourth-inning shot off Ian Kennedy, was just Gurriel's third of the season. He's still slugging only .405 after the homer, but what Gurriel lacks in terms of power he makes up for to a large extent with excellent bat-to-ball skills (10.7 percent strikeout rate). He's now batting an even .300 for the season.

Odor went 1-for-3, extending his hitting streak to six games in Sunday's loss to the Twins.

Odor extended his hitting streak with a seventh-inning bunt single and is hitting .304 (7-for-23) during his longest such streak of the season. In addition to the hitting streak, Odor has now reached base safely in 12 straight. That bears out in a .365 on-base percentage for the month of June -- his best month in that category since June 2015.

Moncada went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, a double, six RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-3 victory over Oakland.

What a day for Moncada as he set a new single-game career high with the six runs driven in. He also reached double-digit home runs on the season Sunday. The 21-year-old infielder is slashing .228/.299/.408 with 32 RBI and 35 runs scored in 272 at-bats. He's also struck out 106 times, which seems to be one of the things limiting him from reaching his full potential.

Valentin was placed on the paternity list Sunday.

Valentin has been mediocre at best in a bench role for the Phillies this season, hitting .216/.268/.351 with one homer in 41 plate appearances. Dylan Cozens was activated from the disabled list in a corresponding move.

Fernandez was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Fernandez hit a mediocre .273/.273/.333 in 10 games with the Angels. He was optioned to make room for reliever Hansel Robles, recently claimed off waivers from the Mets.

Pirela is not in the lineup Sunday against the Giants.

Pirela has just two hits in his last six games. Cory Spangenberg will start at second base in his place Sunday.

Lowrie went 1-for-5 with a two-run, game-tying double in a win over the White Sox on Saturday.

Lowrie's fifth-inning two-bagger brought home Jonathan Lucroy and Franklin Barreto, knotting the score at 5-5. The veteran had seen his hitting streak snapped at six games when he struck out in a pinch-hit at-bat during the second game of Friday's doubleheader, but he's now just one RBI away from equaling the 12 he compiled in May and is hitting .353 over his last eight games overall.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with two RBI, two runs scored and two walks in a 8-2 win over the Brewers on Sunday.

Carpenter is up to 33 RBI and 39 runs scored with 13 long balls this season. He's slashing a pedestrian .237/.347/.467, but it's drastically improved since ending April with a .155/.305/.274 line. As long as he can get on base regularly, he should continue scoring runs near the top of the St. Louis lineup.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in a 10-3 win over Oakland on Sunday.

Sanchez flashed the power and the speed Sunday, picking up his fifth home run and seventh stolen base of the year. The 25-year-old switch-hitter owns a .255/.303/.411 slash line and a league-leading eight triples. Sanchez has also lowered his strikeout rate from 22.9% last year to 19.9% so far in 2018.

Shaw left Sunday's game against the Cardinals after aggravating his right wrist on a swing, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. "Obviously a pretty good twinge on that swing," Shaw said. "There's no way I could have kept going."

He went 0-for-2 before leaving the series finale. This wrist issue cost him three games earlier this week. Hernan Perez, who moved in from right field to man the hot corner after Shaw exited, would figure to see starts at third base, along with possibly Brad Miller or Eric Sogard, if Shaw misses more time. It sounds like his timetable is pretty murky, but Rosiak noted that Monday's off day should help.

Sandoval is not starting Sunday against the Padres, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Sandoval will sit after starting seven straight games at third base. He's hitting a respectable .274/.344/.438 with six homers in 63 games. Alen Hanson will start at third base in his place.

Gosselin was designated for assignment by the Braves on Sunday.

Gosselin was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Evan Phillips, who was called up to replace the injured Arodys Vizcaino (shoulder). The utility man hasn't hit above .150 since 2016, though his .263/.314/.361 career line over parts of six big-league seasons could be enough for another team to claim him and use him in a bench role.

Turner is not starting Sunday against the Mets, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Turner has struggled since returning from a fractured wrist in mid-May, hitting .236/.322/.349 on the season, with just two home runs in 30 games. He certainly wouldn't be the first player to feel the lingering effects of a wrist injury even after returning to the field. Max Muncy will start at third base Sunday.

Munoz is not in the lineup Sunday against the Brewers, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Munoz has started regularly since Paul DeJong went down with a fracture hand in mid-May. Since becoming the starting shortstop, he's hit .316/.358/.429 in 29 games. Greg Garcia will handle the position Sunday.

Mercer is not in the lineup Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Mercer will sit after starting 15 straight games. He hit .280 with an .805 OPS over that stretch. Sean Rodriguez will start at shortstop Sunday.

Andrus is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

It seems the Rangers are just being cautious and easing Andrus back into regular action coming off the lengthy disabled list stint. He's 2-for-21 in five games out of the two hole since his reinstatement, but he's also walked three times. Jurickson Profar will step in at shortstop in the series finale.

Taylor (hamstring) remains out of the lineup Sunday against the Mets, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Taylor said his hamstring felt better Saturday, but he remains out of the lineup. He's still considered day-to-day. Enrique Hernandez will make his third straight start at shortstop.

Rosario is not in the lineup Sunday against the Dodgers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The young shortstop had hit in eight straight games before going hitless Saturday. Jose Reyes will start in his place Sunday. Rosario will reportedly sit for a few days as a breather, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Bogaerts (finger) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Mariners, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Bogaerts sprained his left index finger while sliding into second base Friday and was held out Saturday as a result, but the injury will end up costing him just the lone start. The 25-year-old is batting .275/.337/.487 with four home runs and two stolen bases this month and has been a top-12 player at his position to date this season despite missing a couple weeks in April.

Dietrich went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBI and two runs scored in a 8-5 win over the Rockies on Sunday.

Make that three straight games with a long ball for Dietrich, who's enjoying a terrific 2018 campaign thus far. He owns a strong .302/.354/.496 slash line with 11 homers and 37 runs scored. Just this month he's batting .392 (29-for-74) with five home runs and 10 RBI. At this point, Dietrich needs to be owned in most fantasy formats.

Yelich was 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two strikeouts in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Cardinals.

Yelich took Luke Weaver deep in the first inning, but his team wouldn't manage much else at the plate for the rest of the day. The 26-year-old outfielder has performed as advertised in his first season with the Brew Crew, with 10 home runs, 51 runs and a .287/.365/.461 triple-slash.

Almora went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's game against the Reds

His third home run of the season came in the seventh inning off righty Jackson Stephens. Almora's .323 average now ranks ninth among qualified big-league hitters and fifth among qualified outfielders, behind Mookie Betts (.342), Mike Trout (.327), J.D. Martinez (.326) and Nick Markakis (.326).

Gallo, who left Saturday's game with a hamstring injury, served as the designated hitter Sunday and went 0-for-3 in a loss to the Twins.

Manager Jeff Banister gave Gallo a soft landing as the DH on Sunday, after he banged his knee Friday and suffered Saturday's setback. We suspect he'll be back in the field, if not Monday, early this week. Gallo has played 76 of Texas' 79 games this season.

Canha went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a sac fly, and a walk in Sunday's 10-3 loss to the White Sox.

Canha brought in Matt Olson with the sac fly in the second before drilling a shot off Carlos Rodon in the fifth. The California native is slashing .253/.325/.468 with 27 RBI and 21 extra-base hits in 190 at-bats.

Buxton (toe) could rejoin the Twins on Tuesday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The Twins are keeping this one close to the vest, as manager Paul Molitor wouldn't say whether Buxton could be an option to rejoin the active roster after outfielder Ryan LaMarre was optioned to Triple-A following Sunday's game. Unfortunately the Twins have an off day Monday, so fantasy owners may not know for sure if Buxton will be back until after lineups lock in certain formats. Triple-A Rochester, where Buxton is rehabbing, plays a doubleheader at Syracuse on Monday. Buxton is hitting just .167/.250/.333 with one home run, two steals and seven strikeouts in 18 at-bats so far during his rehab assignment.

Boyd gave up six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out five in three innings Sunday in Cleveland, picking up his sixth loss of the season.

He has given up 11 runs in seven innings over his last two starts, and his ERA has skyrocketed from 3.23 to 4.15 over that span. Boyd didn't generate a single groundout in this game, which marked just the second time in 15 starts that he failed to get at least three outs on the ground. His next start will come next weekend in Toronto.

Plutko (4-1) gave up two runs on six hits and zero walks while striking out four in six innings Sunday against the Tigers.

He earned his fourth win in just six big-league appearances (five starts) this season, despite owning a 4.65 ERA. Nothing has been confirmed, but it seems likely that Plutko will get one more start next weekend in Oakland. However, Carlos Carrasco (forearm) is expected back in roughly 7-to-10 days, so the Indians will have to bump someone from the rotation, and that figures to be Plutko.

Hess (2-4) allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks across four innings en route to a loss Sunday against the Braves. He struck out four.

Hess allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in the first inning before another three runs came across during a third-inning rally from the home team. He threw a solid 68 percent of his pitches for strikes, but he simply missed over the plate too often and paid the price against a potent offense. Hess has now allowed exactly five earned runs in each of his last three starts to see his ERA rise to 5.44. He'll look to right the ship next weekend against the Angels.

Hammel (2-9) allowed nine runs (seven earned) on six hits and five walks across four innings while taking the loss Sunday against the Astros. He struck out three.

Hammel endured a nightmare second inning in which he allowed eight runs on four hits, three walks, and a catcher's interference, with the big blow coming on a grand slam from Yulieski Gurriel. He put multiple men on base again in the fourth, allowing an unearned run on a throwing error before escaping without further damage. This disastrous outing was a bit of a disappointment for Hammel, who'd allowed three earned runs or fewer in five of his previous six starts. He'll take a bloated 5.34 ERA into his start next weekend against the Mariners.

Carrasco will throw bullpen sessions this week to test his bruised elbow, the Associated Press reports.

He threw from 90 feet Friday and will presumably throw his first bullpen session Monday or Tuesday. This seems to rule out Carrasco returning when first eligible June 27. However, if all goes well, it's possible he could return for the weekend series in Oakland or next week's series in Kansas City.

Chacin (6-3) pitched just 4.1 innings Sunday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and five walks while striking out five in a 8-2 loss to St. Louis.

All around just a brutal outing for Chacin, as he saw his season ERA climb from 3.18 to 3.82 after the beating. In three starts against the Cardinals this year, he's allowed 17 runs (14 earned) with 11 strikeouts and 10 walks in just 14.2 innings. Chacin will look to turn it around next weekend against the Reds.

Rucinski (2-1) allowed three runs in 2.2 innings Sunday, yielding five hits and a walk in a 8-5 win over Colorado. He gave up a home run and struck out one.

Rucinski came in during the second inning after starter Caleb Smith left due to a shoulder injury. It wasn't a great performance by any means, but Miami's offense did enough work to give the 29-year-old a win. Rucinski owns a 4.63 ERA in 11.2 innings this season.

Boxberger worked around a hit in a scoreless inning of work to earn his 17th save of the season Sunday against the Pirates.

Boxberger allowed Austin Meadows to reach base with one out, only to induce a double-play ball two pitches later to close things out. The veteran had blown each of his last two save opportunities, so this was a nice bounce-back effort. His ERA now sits at 3.62 to go along with a 1.35 WHIP, but there's been nothing to indicate that he won't be the top option in save situations for the time being.

Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth inning Sunday against the Cubs, picking up his 13th save of the season.

He did not strike anyone out, but now has four saves on four chances in the last week. There is no debating Iglesias' talent, the one knock coming into the year was that he may not get a ton of save opportunities because the Reds wouldn't win many games and he could be traded to a contender at the trade deadline. The team got off to a bad start, but has now won 10 of their last 12 games, so the save chances have been coming at a higher frequency of late.

Smith (elbow) threw a bullpen session Sunday, his first since going on the disabled list June 10, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Smith tested the right elbow by throwing 30 pitches during the session. Given there's no setback, the side-arming right-hander will throw another bullpen some time this week before heading out on a rehabilitation assignment.

Venters (hamstring strain) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday, Juan Toribio of The Athletic Tampa Bay reports.

The oft-injured reliever left Sunday's game with a right hamstring strain, so this roster move does not come as a surprise. He has a 3.95 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 13.2 innings this season. Consider him out indefinitely.

Ynoa (shoulder) had a setback during his rehab involving a recurrence of shin splints, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.

A right shoulder injury, which landed Ynoa on the 60-day disabled list, and now shin splints have combined to cost Ynoa all of his 2018 season thus far. He should be considered out indefinitely.

Morales is not in the lineup Sunday against the Angels.

Morales is hitting .385 with three homers and a 1.092 OPS over his last 15 games. He'll get a rest Sunday, with Steve Pearce filling in as the designated hitter.

Gattis is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

The American League Player of the Week last week, Gattis has followed up by going 2-for-15 with a double in his last five games. Gattis has made two appearances at catcher this season but still has not started a game behind the plate, and it doesn't seem like the Astros have any intention to play him there more moving forward even with Brian McCann struggling.

Davidson is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Daniel Palka will take over as the designated hitter and cleanup man as Davidson heads to the bench amidst a 1-for-19 stretch. Davidson has hit 13 homers this season and is walking a lot more than he did a year ago, but the 35.5 percent strikeout rate will continue to limit his batting average.

Trumbo (knee) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Braves, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Trumbo's knee has stiffened up. The right knee was a problem late last month and an MRI showed arthritis, but he avoided the disabled list then and the Orioles are optimistic this latest bout of stiffness won't require a disabled list trip either. Colby Rasmus will shift over to right field in Trumbo's absence as Trey Mancini (neck) returns to left field.

Cron is not in the lineup Sunday against the Yankees.

Cron has just two hits in his last 10 games. He's been generally adequate in his first taste of a full-time role, hitting .235/.311/.448 with 16 homers in 72 games. That home run total already matches his career high. Matt Duffy will be the Rays' designated hitter Sunday.

Trumbo went 1-for-3 with a walk and a grand slam in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Braves.

His first-inning blast off Julio Teheran gave the O's a lead they wouldn't relinquish, while giving Trumbo seven homers on the year -- including four in the last six games. The hot streak has raised his slash line on the season to .263/.320/.462, and the 32-year-old is more than capable of going on an extended power binge now that he's 100 percent healthy.