RADIO
Nick Kurtz on a Homer Binge, Goes Deep Twice in Wild Loss
There was no shortage of offense between the Milwaukee Brewers and Athletics on Monday night in Las Vegas, with the Brewers eventually prevailing 15-14 in 12 innings. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz had a day at the plate, going 3-for-6 with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored, a walk, and three strikeouts. His first blast was a solo shot in the sixth inning, and he later added a two-run homer in an electrifying back-and-forth game. After a somewhat slow start to his sophomore campaign, the 23-year-old left-handed slugger has now homered three times in the last two games and six times in his last 10 games. With Monday's strong performance to continue his hot streak, Kurtz is now slashing .282/.434/.521 with a .956 OPS, 14 long balls, 48 RBI, 45 runs scored, and seven stolen bases across his 234 at-bats in 2026. The former fourth overall pick in 2024 out of Wake Forest University is one of the best pure slugging options in baseball, let alone at the first base position. Kurtz is a must-start every day in fantasy lineups.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Is Daniel Lynch IV Emerging as a High-End Closer Stash?
Kansas City Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch IV has emerged as a key piece of his team's bullpen in 2026, pitching to a 1.71 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and one save across 26 1/3 innings (26 games). The 29-year-old is averaging a career-high 94.8 miles per hour on his fastball and has struck out 27.1% of the batters he's faced this season. After removing the struggling Lucas Erceg from their closer role, the Royals have opted for veteran right-hander Alex Lange in the ninth inning in recent games. Lange has converted all three of his save chances so far, but he's struggled with command throughout his career and owns a 4.03 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 2026. Should Lange fail to lock down the closer role in Kansas City, Lynch IV could be the next man up. In deeper fantasy leagues, managers may want to consider stashing Lynch IV as a potential source of saves.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jacob Gonzalez Emerging as a Priority Waiver Wire Target with Hot Start to MLB Career
Since making his MLB debut on May 31, Chicago White Sox infielder Jacob Gonzalez has hit .300/.391/.450 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs scored across 23 plate appearances. With White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) currently on the injured list, Gonzalez has logged everyday playing time at first base since his promotion. The 22-year-old's strong start in the Majors is backed up by his work at Triple-A this season, where he slashed .317/.419/.668 with 19 home runs, 62 RBI, 42 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in just 238 plate appearances. Gonzalez also has the ability to play multiple infield positions, so he could stick in the Chicago lineup even once Murakami returns. Gonzalez profiles as a high-upside waiver wire target who should be prioritized by fantasy managers across all league formats.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Gus Varland Earns Fifth Save, Emerging as Name to Roster in Washington's Bullpen?
Washington Nationals relief pitcher Gus Varland secured his team's 4-3 win over the Giants on Monday night after Keaton Winn blew the save for San Francisco. After the Nats plated three runs in the top of the ninth, Varland had two strikeouts while allowing a single and a walk on his way to his fifth save of the year. The 29-year-old righty has a 4.01 ERA and 3.23 FIP in his 24 2/3 innings this season and is currently sharing time at the end of games with Clayton Beeter, who earned the win on Tuesday despite giving up two runs before Varland entered. Varland seems to be the slightly better option of the two relievers at this point in the Nationals' bullpen, although both relievers have been shaky this season for fantasy production.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Trey Mancini Racks Up Three Hits in Season Debut, Is He Back on the Fantasy Radar?
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Trey Mancini returned to the majors for the first time since July 31, 2023, and he looked impressive in his first game back. The 34-year-old righty went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in his team's 5-4, extra-inning loss to the Astros. He put up solid numbers in Triple-A last year for the Diamondbacks, hitting .308 with 16 homers and a .389 wOBA before opting out on July 1st. He slashed .273/.377/.464 in 52 games in Triple-A this season with six homers, 40 runs scored, and 29 RBI before returning to the majors on Monday. Mancini could get some playing time with Nolan Schanuel (ankle) battling tendinitis and Vaughn Grissom (oblique) on the injured list. Mancini has hit well enough at Triple-A to be an interesting deep-league pickup and streaming option if he continues to get playing time for the Halos. He doesn't have elite power or an extremely high ceiling, but he has proven that he can make consistent contact and accumulate counting stats.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Is Spencer Schwellenbach a Top Injury Stash?
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) had bone spurs removed from his elbow in February and has begun a throwing progression as he works his way back to the rotation at some point late in the season. Even though he's still a ways from his return and has been limited to throwing from flat ground, it could be time to stash him in deep leagues if you have roster flexibility to do so. He has been one of the most electric young arms in baseball when available, but has been limited to just 17 starts over the past two seasons. For standard-sized leagues, he's still too far away to stash quite yet, but he's definitely someone with enough upside to monitor his return closely as he makes progress over the next few weeks. In deeper leagues with more injury flexibility, though, he has enough late-season potential to be a sneaky add early in his return.
Source: Mark Bowman
Source: Mark Bowman
Kirby Yates Blows Another Save Opportunity, Will He Fall Into a Closer Committee?
Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Kirby Yates couldn't hold on to a one-run lead against the Astros on Monday night, and his team went on to lose in extra innings. To start the inning, Yates walked Jeremy Pena, who stole second and scored on a single by Christian Walker. While he didn't take the loss on Monday, Yates' ERA climbed to 5.23 on the season, and he has allowed a run in three of his last four appearances. The Angels don't have many proven options in the bullpen, or Yates may have already been in a committee, but if they do look to go a different direction, Sam Bachman has been very effective as a setup man. Yates still will likely get save chances for the Angels, but he'll need to turn things around soon if he doesn't want to lose his job. It's hard to have much confidence in him at this point, and better options may be available on your league's waiver wire.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Hogan Harris Blows Second Save, Will he Remain Primary Option in Athletics Bullpen?
Athletics relief pitcher Hogan Harris entered the eighth inning of Monday night's wild, 15-14 loss to the Brewers. He couldn't secure the five-out save even though he escaped the eighth inning by inducing a double-play from Brice Turang. In the ninth, he ran into trouble and allowed a two-run double to Andrew Vaughn before striking out the side to avoid further damage. He left the game tied at 10 and was charged with two earned runs on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. Harris is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 3.96 FIP in his 31 2/3 innings this season and has nine holds and five saves to go with his two blown saves this year. With Joel Kuhnel traded and Jack Perkins in the rotation, Harris will likely remain a key part of the closer committee with Scott Barlow and Mark Leiter Jr. He's still the slight favorite of the three for save chances, but the A's will continue to rotate options at the end of games, making all of their bullpen arms hard to count on for fantasy production.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Keaton Winn Stumbles in Save Opportunity, No Longer Worth Rostering?
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Keaton Winn entered a save situation on Monday night, but he gave up three runs to the Nationals and took the loss. He got James Wood to start the inning, but he left the game after a double, a hit-by-pitch, and a pair of singles turned a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 deficit. He fell to 2-2 with the loss and was charged with three earned runs on three hits with one strikeout. His blown save spoiled a great start from Logan Webb and caused Winn's ERA to climb to 3.23 in his 30 2/3 innings this year. Winn has allowed a run in four of his last six appearances and could lose ground to Caleb Kilian in the Giants' closer timeshare. For now, Kilian seems to be the relief pitcher to target in San Francisco, although the shaky bullpen is a high-risk situation overall.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Andres Munoz Bounces Back for Save No. 10
Seattle Mariners right-handed closer Andres Munoz has not had the kind of year so far that he was hoping for, and after blowing three of his last four save chances, fantasy managers have been wondering whether he's on the verge of a bullpen demotion. After blowing his fifth save of the year and losing his fourth game in Sunday's 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, Munoz bounced back the very next day with his 10th save of the season in Monday's 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The 27-year-old Mexican hurler didn't allow a hit or a run in his inning of work while walking one and striking out two. It wasn't exactly easy, as he needed 20 pitches to close things out, but it's a step in the right direction after his recent rough patch. Munoz now has a 5.18 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 37:10 K:BB in 24 1/3 innings pitched. He's been a bit unlucky this year, and it doesn't appear that manager Dan Wilson is ready to go in another direction just yet.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Cristopher Sanchez Continues Dominant Season With 10-Strikeout Performance
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez continued his dominant 2026 season with another gem in Monday night's 5-2 win on the road at the Rogers Centre against the hosting Toronto Blue Jays. Sanchez allowed two earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out 10 in seven innings to win his eighth game of the season. The 29-year-old Dominican southpaw is the front-runner for the Cy Young award in the American League at this juncture, and he lowered his season ERA to 1.54 with his latest impressive outing on Monday night. Sanchez allowed just his fourth home run of the year in the outing, but he also struck out double-digit hitters for the fourth time in 2026. Since giving up a season-high six earned runs on April 23 against the Chicago Cubs, Sanchez has allowed just five earned runs in his last eight starts. He has a much more challenging matchup on tap this Sunday against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, but Sanchez is a set-and-forget pitching asset in traditional fantasy baseball leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Joe Musgrove has Been Playing Catch
San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) was hopeful for an early-season return after missing all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery in October of 2024, but he experienced a setback after making one spring training start. Musgrove began playing catch in late May, according to MLB.com. He's currently on the 60-day injured list and isn't expected to return at this point until after the All-Star break in mid-July. It's good news that the 33-year-old veteran is throwing a baseball again, but he still has plenty of boxes to check and must next get back on the mound. The Padres could definitely use Musgrove's presence in their starting rotation with Nick Pivetta (forearm) out until late in the year, but the Padres aren't going to rush him back. When/if Musgrove is available for the Friars in the second half, he'll most likely be eased back into action, limiting his fantasy upside. At best, Musgrove will probably be a matchup-based streamer in deep-mixed leagues whenever he returns. Right now, he's rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Austin Wells Undergoes MRI Exam on Monday
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (head), who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with cervical headaches, had an MRI exam on June 8, although manager Aaron Boone didn't have an update on his status before Monday's series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians, according to MLB.com. It's good news that the 26-year-old backstop isn't dealing with a concussion, but there's no timetable for when he might come off the IL. Until he's able to return, the Yankees will roll with J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez behind the plate. Wells has never hit for average in his four seasons in the big leagues, but he did have a career-best 21 home runs and 71 RBI in 126 regular-season games played in 2025 in his third year in the majors. Wells is having a rough season in 2026 to this point, batting an ugly .166 (24-for-145) with just four home runs, seven RBI, 15 runs scored, and a career-high 26.6% strikeout rate in 47 games across 169 plate appearances. He's rostered in under 10% of Yahoo leagues because of his struggles.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ryan Helsley Throws Live Bullpen Session on Monday
Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Ryan Helsley (elbow) threw a live bullpen session on the field at Camden Yards on Monday, according to Matt Weywrich of The Baltimore Sun. It is potentially his last step before going on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 31-year-old is finally getting close to a return to the back end of Baltimore's bullpen after being sidelined since May 1 with inflammation in his right elbow. If Helsley can avoid a setback on his rehab assignment, he could come off the 15-day injured list early next week. The two-time All-Star was looking ready to bounce back after struggling with the New York Mets in 2025 following a midseason trade, allowing three earned runs with seven walks, 15 strikeouts, and seven saves in his first 12 appearances out of the bullpen with the O's before his elbow injury. The O's might ease Helsley back into save situations, but in the long run, he's their best clear option for saves in 2026. Until he returns, Rico Garcia has been manager Craig Albernaz's favorite option in save situations.
Source: The Baltimore Sun - Matt Weyrich
Source: The Baltimore Sun - Matt Weyrich
Henry Bolte Earning More Playing Time, Emerging as a Top Waiver-Wire Target
Since earning a promotion to the big leagues in mid-May, Athletics outfielder Henry Bolte has hit .309/.392/.368 with zero home runs, five RBI, five runs scored, and four stolen bases across 79 plate appearances. The 22-year-old may now be moving into an everyday role for the A's, as Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler owns a .501 OPS this season and has begun to cede playing time to Bolte. While Bolte's power has been lacking in the big leagues so far, he hit 12 home runs across 177 plate appearances at Triple-A before being called up by the Athletics. He's also made consistently solid contact despite the lack of home runs, as he's posted a 53.2% hard hit rate. Swing-and-miss is a bit of a concern for Bolte, as he's struck out in 27.8% of his plate appearances. His batting average has been buoyed by a .447 batting average on balls in play, which fantasy managers should expect to regress. Still, Bolte's demonstrated speed and power upside make him an intriguing waiver wire target.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
