RADIO
Aaron Judge Diagnosed with Stress Fracture, Out 4-6 Weeks
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (rib) has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of his first rib on his right side. The Yankees have announced that Judge is going to be sidelined 4-6 weeks because of this issue. The superstar slugger needs a rest period before the team can do more imaging. Judge will head to the Injured List, which is obviously going to be a huge blow to this lineup. He's going to need time to ramp back up as well, so fantasy managers should expect to be without Judge for an extended period of time. The MVP slugger is irreplaceable, but the assumption is that Max Schuemann, Jose Caballero, and possibly Spencer Jones will get a look in right field while Judge is sidelined. As mentioned, Judge needs a recovery window before more tests can be done, so fantasy managers will need to stay tuned for more updates on his status in the coming weeks.
Source: Gary Phillips
Source: Gary Phillips
Juan Mejia a Potential Option for Saves
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Juan Mejia has hit a rough patch lately. Mejia was pitching well in a high-leverage role for the Rockies, but might've pushed himself down on the depth chart lately. Over the last five outings, Mejia has allowed eight earned runs and has only thrown one clean inning. The right-hander currently holds a 5.79 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and a 31:16 K:BB ratio with three saves in 25 appearances. It has been a struggle for Mejia lately, but a few quality outings could quickly put him back on the closer radar. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on Mejia as a possible saves candidate in the near future.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Nico Hoerner Continues Sluggish Play
Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner has not looked like himself at the plate lately. Hoerner is normally one of the most consistent hitters at his position, but has struggled over the last few weeks. Coming into Thursday's game, Hoerner is slashing .212/.293/.250 with zero home runs and three RBI over the last 14 days. It's worth noting that Hoerner has recorded a hit in four straight games coming into Thursday's contest against the Athletics. This is hopefully a sign that Hoerner is beginning to snap out of his cold streak at the plate. Fantasy managers should continue to stick with Hoerner through his struggles, as he could be turning the corner very soon.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Nolan Schanuel is Beginning Rehab Assignment on Friday
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel (ankle) is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. Schanuel is currently working his way back from a left ankle injury that he suffered in late May. If everything goes well, Schanuel should be able to return to the Angels lineup by the weekend. This season, Schanuel is slashing .262/.313/.387 with four home runs, 24 RBI, and 13 walks across 208 plate appearances. He's someone worth considering stashing in deep leagues with his return on the horizon.
Source: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Source: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Brayan Bello Gets Optioned to Triple-A
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello is being optioned to Triple-A Worcester, according to Mac Cerullo. Bello has been putting together a miserable season, and it continued on Thursday. The right-hander allowed eight earned runs on seven hits while walking three batters across five innings of work in the loss to the Baltimore Orioles. After that outing, Bello holds a 6.34 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and a 44:24 K:BB ratio across 12 appearances this season. The organization is hopeful that he can work out these issues in the minor leagues. The team hasn't announced who is coming up in his place, but Jake Bennett is believed to be the favorite to take over the roster spot.
Source: Mac Cerullo
Source: Mac Cerullo
Red Sox Likely to Promote No. 6 Prospect Jake Bennett to Major Leagues?
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jake Bennett could be back on the big league roster soon. According to Ian Browne, Bennett could return to the starting rotation as early as Tuesday. The Red Sox need another starting pitcher after optioning Brayan Bello on Tuesday. The 25-year-old is the No. 6 prospect in the Red Sox farm system. He has already made two starts for the team this season. Bennett has pitched extremely well in the minor leagues and has earned another chance at the big league roster. He'd be worth a look in deep leagues if he does receive the call back to The Show next week.
Source: Ian Browne
Source: Ian Browne
Shohei Ohtani has "Small" Blister, a "Non-Issue" for his Pitching Starts
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani (finger) is dealing with a "small" blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. Ohtani was seen picking at his blister during his start on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but it's a "non-issue" for his pitching starts going forward, per Roberts. The 31-year-old four-time MVP wasn't really bothered by the blister during his outing in Arizona, as he gave up just two hits in six shutout innings with six strikeouts to earn his sixth win of the year. The Dodgers are giving the Japanese superstar a day of rest on Thursday as a hitter in the series finale in the desert, but it has nothing to do with his blister, and he should be back in action as the designated hitter for L.A. for the start of the Freeway Series on Friday against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani is now hitting over .300 after a slow start at the plate, and the four-time All-Star is firmly in the National League Cy Young race with a 6-2 record, 0.74 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 67:18 K:BB in 61 innings over his 10 starts in 2026.
Source: The Orange County Register - Bill Plunkett
Source: The Orange County Register - Bill Plunkett
Does George Lombard Jr. Have a Path to an Early MLB Debut?
Infielder George Lombard Jr. is the team's top overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he could be on track to make a much earlier than expected debut in the big leagues in 2026. Lombard was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at the end of April after hitting .312 (24-for-77) with four home runs, 10 RBI, 18 runs scored, and four stolen bases in just 20 games with Double-A Somerset. The 21-year-old is already considered major-league-ready in terms of his glove, so he might not be far off from getting the call to the Bronx. The former 26th overall pick in 2023 out of Gulliver Preparatory School in Florida has played in 31 games at Triple-A and has gone 22-for-114 (.193) with two homers, 12 RBI, 23 runs, and six stolen bases in 149 plate appearances. Lombard has a patient approach and a maturing power profile, but he'll need to make more consistent contact to help fantasy managers down the road in the average department. With the expectation that Lombard has a good shot to make his MLB debut in 2026, fantasy managers in deeper leagues may want to get ahead of their league mates and stash him now. Lombard is rostered in just 4% of Yahoo leagues right now.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Is Hogan Harris a Legitimate Source of Saves?
The Athletics are currently using a closer-by-committee approach to the ninth inning, but left-handed reliever Hogan Harris might deserve some more consideration off the waiver wire from fantasy managers in need of saves going forward. The 29-year-old southpaw has been a reliable late-inning option for the A's this year and picked up his third win of 2026 in Wednesday night's 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, throwing a hitless and scoreless inning with no walks and two strikeouts. Justin Sterner ended up with the save in the ballgame, but Harris, Mark Leiter Jr., and Scott Barlow are still the best ninth-inning options for manager Mark Kotsay. Since blowing his first save of the year on April 28 against the Kansas City Royals, Harris has tightened things up with three earned runs allowed, seven walks, 16 strikeouts, four saves, three holds, and a win in 15 appearances for the A's. He has not allowed a run in 12 of his last 13 appearances. Fantasy managers should jump on Harris now, and he's only rostered in 11% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Brent Rooker Out on Thursday Due to Knee Soreness
Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker (knee) is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's game at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs because he is dealing with some knee soreness, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Manager Mark Kotsay said Rooker is day-to-day. "This is more caution just to get him a day to see if we can get ahead of it as opposed to continuing to go in the wrong direction," Kotsay said. Catcher Shea Langeliers is serving as the designated hitter on Thursday and will hit third, with Jonah Heim doing the catching for right-hander J.T. Ginn and batting sixth against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga. The knee soreness for the 31-year-old Rooker could be the reason why he's still hitting under the Mendoza Line at .196 (32-for-163) as we start June. Rooker has added eight home runs, 26 RBI, 16 runs scored, and two stolen bases with an ugly .277 on-base percentage and .362 slugging percentage through 43 games. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Friday to see if the right-handed slugger is available to play for the series opener in Houston against the division-rival Astros.
Source: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
Source: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
Chad Dallas Earns the Call, Will Have a Role on Thursday
The Toronto Blue Jays are calling up right-handed pitching prospect Chad Dallas from the minors, and he will factor into the team's pitching plan on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves in what will be his big-league debut, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. Dallas, a fourth-round pick in 2021 out of the University of Tennessee, gets his first call to the majors after going 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 38:13 K:BB in 36 innings across 10 appearances (eight starts) at Triple-A Buffalo this year. The 25-year-old figures to serve in a bulk-reliever role for the Jays in a tough matchup against the Braves in his major-league debut. This is Dallas' first year removed from Tommy John surgery, so Toronto is most likely keeping a close eye on his workload, and he will probably head back to Buffalo sooner rather than later after his debut on Thursday. Fantasy managers in dynasty and redraft leagues can avoid Dallas for now, and DFS managers should steer clear of him against Atlanta.
Source: Sportsnet - Arden Zwelling
Source: Sportsnet - Arden Zwelling
Astros Promote Catching Prospect Collin Price, Can he Carve Out a Role?
The Houston Astros called up catching prospect Collin Price from the minors on Thursday and designated catcher Cesar Salazar for assignment in a corresponding move, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Price, a former sixth-round selection in the 2022 MLB draft out of Mercer University, will make his first appearance in the big leagues for the Astros after hitting .235/.360/.476 with an .836 OPS, 10 home runs, 26 RBI, 19 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 47 games across 200 plate appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land this year. The 26-year-old right-handed-hitting backstop had a career-best 18 long balls in 111 games played for Sugar Land last year. With Salazar off the MLB roster, Price will serve as Houston's No. 2 catcher behind Christian Vazquez for the time being. Price has shown plenty of power in the minors, but his stay in the big leagues is likely to be a short one with regular starter Yainer Diaz (oblique) looking likely to rejoin the Astros by mid-June.
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Ketel Marte Returns for Series Finale Against Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (back, hamstring) is starting at second base and batting leadoff for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers and left-hander Justin Wrobleski, according to MLB.com. The D-backs kept Marte out of the lineup as a precaution for Wednesday's game due to minor back and hamstring injuries, but he's back in action just a day later. The 32-year-old Dominican switch-hitter should be returned to all starting fantasy lineups in traditional leagues against Wrobleski, whom he has never faced in his career. Marte enters Thursday's action with a .259/.315/.456 slash line, .771 OPS, 10 home runs, 36 RBI, and 36 runs scored across 57 games and 251 plate appearances this year. Fantasy managers will be hoping he can turn things around after going just 1-for-18 with a homer, four RBI, two runs, four walks, and three punchouts in his last five games. Marte has hit better against lefties in a smaller sample size, going 19-for-65 (.292) and with three of his 10 homers on the year.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Royals Place Stephen Kolek on Emergency Leave
The Kansas City Royals announced on Thursday that they placed right-hander Stephen Kolek (personal) on the family medical emergency list and selected the contract of infielder Josh Rojas from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Kolek could be away from the Royals for anywhere from three to seven days while he deals with a personal matter. It's unclear if he'll be back with the team in time to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday at home in a plus matchup against the Texas Rangers. The 29-year-old isn't much of a strikeout artist, leaving his fantasy ceiling rather low, but he has pitched well in 2026 in his first full year with the Royals, going 4-1 with a career-best 3.32 ERA (4.10 FIP) and 0.97 WHIP with 27 strikeouts and only eight walks in 38 innings across his six starts. Kolek had a quality start his last time out in a no-decision against the Cincinnati Reds, spinning seven innings with only two earned runs allowed, two walks, and a season-high eight strikeouts. He allowed six runs (four earned) with one walk and five K's in five innings in a loss on May 29 in his first meeting with the Rangers on the road.
Source: Kansas City Royals
Source: Kansas City Royals
Corey Seager Expected to Return This Weekend
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (back) is expected to return from the 10-day injured list this weekend, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Rangers entered Wednesday ranked 23rd in runs per game and two games below .500, so they desperately need both Seager and outfielder Wyatt Langford (forearm) back in their lineup. The 32-year-old Seager started a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday and should be good to go by the weekend, barring a setback. The five-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP has gotten off to a bad start to the 2026 season, slashing just .179/.286/.353 with a .638 OPS, but he did have seven home runs in 156 at-bats before injuring his back. Seager has had trouble staying healthy at various points in his career, but the Rangers need him to stay on the field the rest of the year to have any chance at getting into the postseason. In fantasy, Seager's buy-low window remains open if you're willing to take on the risk that he cannot overcome his slow start. UPDATE: Seager is expected to come off the IL for the series opener on Friday versus the Cleveland Guardians, per MLB.com's Kennedi Landry.
Source: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
Source: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
