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Dan Stephens looks at big fantasy baseball stories from Week 21 of the 2024 MLB season. What made the MLB headlines last week and what can you expect going forward?
Hello again, RotoBallers, and welcome to a fresh week of fantasy baseball. With waivers run and lineups locked, now is a good time to catch up on the news from around the league. Every Monday, I use this space to highlight a few headlines that stood out to me and assess their impact on fantasy baseball.
Last week, the Jazz Chisholm Experience in New York came to a screeching halt when the electric OF/IF hit the injured list with a sprained UCL. In further injury news, Christian Yelich announced that he will indeed undergo season-ending back surgery. And on the lighter side of the sport, Aaron Judge hit a milestone home run in record time.
The marathon fantasy baseball season is drawing down and as such this column will call it a wrap with this edition. Thank you to the readers for checking in each week and to the MLB editing team at RotoBaller for allowing me this space. Remember to stay on top of news league-wide through the end of the season by bookmarking our fantasy baseball news feed and downloading our mobile app.
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Jazz Chisholm Will Be FINE
Almost as soon as it began, the show that Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been putting on since donning Yankees pinstripes was halted on August 11. Chisholm injured the UCL in his left elbow during a slide into home plate in last Monday’s 12-2 loss to the White Sox.
X-rays taken at the ballpark were negative and the MRI done the next day revealed a sprain in the ligament and not a tear, to the relief of much of the greater New York metropolitan area.
For those who didn’t see what led to the Jazz Chisholm injury, here’s the slide from last night’s game.
Chisholm was seen in the dugout following this slide doing arm circles and stretching out his left arm in particular. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/euuOeLotbx
— Jeff Middleton (@jjmid04) August 13, 2024
Chisholm has been electric since joining the Yankees via trade on July 27. In his 14 games with the team, he has gone 18-for-57 with seven home runs, 11 runs, 13 RBI, and five steals. His absence leaves a hole in the lineup but it may not be for as long as initially feared.
When the 26-year-old star spoke with media on August 16 he said that he has not felt pain since the initial injury and suggested he would be back not long after his minimum IL stay elapses.
Fantasy impact: Chisholm is not a doctor so I would take his outlook with a grain of salt. Still, the MRI revealing only a sprain combined with being pain-free already lends room for optimism for a return before the end of the month. Given the location of the injury, there was early speculation and concern about Tommy John surgery. Thankfully, that won't be necessary.
Meanwhile, Oswald Peraza was brought up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move and Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu will also rotate in during Chisholm’s absence. Fantasy managers suddenly missing Chisholm’s services might not find his real-life replacements productive enough to be worth rostering.
Those in this jam should take a look at Jonah Bride of the Marlins. Over the last month, the 1B/3B-eligible Bride has maintained a .275 batting average with five homers and 20 RBI.
Christian Yelich: Back In 2025
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich announced last Thursday, August 15, that he would undergo season-ending back surgery. Yelich has dealt with back issues throughout his career. He has been on the injured list since July 24 thanks to this most recent flare-up, which is his second such stint this year.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Brandon Rebholz in Milwaukee on Friday, August 16. The Brewers described the surgery as successful and the expectation is that Yelich will be ready for Spring Training next season.
Yelich was in the midst of something of a renaissance, on track to post his best numbers since he was in the running for MVP in 2019. Through 73 games this season, the 32-year-old hit .315 with 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases.
An update I was hoping to avoid. Be back stronger. @Brewers pic.twitter.com/HWT0OOiJVo
— Christian Yelich (@ChristianYelich) August 15, 2024
Fantasy impact: Those fantasy managers who were holding out hope for a late-season return can drop Yelich. Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Jackson Chourio have settled in as the Brewers’ regular outfielders in the meantime. Frelick and Mitchell have been underwhelming, to say the least, but Chourio has been hitting .344 since Yelich hit the IL.
Now that the much-hyped rookie is playing up to expectations he will be hard to find on the waiver wire. Managers instead will be well-served to stream hot streaks down the stretch as the season comes to an end. Ramon Laureano has seemingly taken over centerfield in Atlanta and got things going last week, going 7-for-21 and hitting a home run on both Saturday and Sunday to cap it off.
Mr. 300
The news last week didn’t revolve entirely around injuries. On Tuesday, August 13, Aaron Judge gave fans a reason to celebrate when he crushed a pitch for his 300th career home run. The ball carried an exit velocity of 110.1 MPH on its way into the home White Sox’ bullpen.
History for The Captain 🫡#AllRise pic.twitter.com/VIIOPh8ngt
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 15, 2024
The milestone came at a record pace. In hitting home run number 300 in his 955th career game, Judge hit the mark 132 games sooner than the previous record holder, Ralph Kiner. Judge also beat the record when measured in at-bats, needing 3,431 ABs to accomplish the feat. The previous record holder was none other than Babe Ruth, who hit his 300th home run in his 3,831st at-bat.
The homer was Judge’s 43rd of the season and the All-Star hit another to bring his total to a league-leading 44. Combined with his 111 RBI and .332/.464/.707 slash line, Judge is a top contender for this year's American League MVP award.
Fantasy update: With trade activity done for the season by now, you either have Aaron Judge already or you simply won’t in 2024. There are pieces of the Yankees’ lineup that can be found on the waiver wire, though, and might benefit from being in Judge’s proximity.
Austin Wells has been a regular fixture in the Yankees’ cleanup spot for the last few weeks and is swinging a hot bat. Wells has taken full advantage of hitting behind Judge and his league-leading 18.7 BB%. Over the last month, he has driven in 16 RBI with a .329 batting average and .909 OPS, making him an obvious add for any team in need of help at catcher.
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