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Dan Stephens looks at big fantasy baseball stories from Week 17 of the 2024 MLB season. What made the MLB headlines last week and what can you expect going forward?
Hello, RotoBallers, and welcome to the second half of the Major League Baseball season. The All-Star break has come and gone and soon the trade market will be heating up. It’s Monday, which means another look at the biggest news in baseball from the past week. The All-Star break interrupted fantasy baseball and made for a quieter week than usual but it was still eventful.
For those who skipped the festivities, Teoscar Hernandez won the 2024 Home Run Derby on Monday. The next night, the American League beat the National League 5-3 in the All-Star Game. Play resumed on Friday to the delight of fantasy managers everywhere but a rash of injuries through the weekend left many with holes in their rosters for the week ahead. Sunday night it was reported that the Mariners are putting Ty France on waivers.
Fantasy baseball revolves around an expansive league with a six-month-long season. It’s hard to maintain focus during the marathon. News can easily go by overlooked, especially if it doesn’t directly relate to players we roster or actively follow. To stay on top of the latest action, bookmark our fantasy baseball news feed, download our mobile app, and check back for the next installment of the Stories of the Week every Monday.
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All-Star Accolades
The 2024 Home Run Derby was played on Monday, June 15. The event started with eight contestants and the field was whittled down to two: Bobby Witt Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez. It was Hernandez who emerged victorious from the championship round, becoming the first Dodger to win the contest. On Tuesday, Jarren Duran was named the MVP of the 94th All-Star Game. His two-run home run in the fifth inning gave the American League a 5-3 lead over the National League and the score held to the end.
Fantasy impact: Hernandez is having a fantastic rebound this season, to no one’s surprise. On Sunday he launched his 20th home run of the season and brought his RBI total to 64. He’s a great trade target ahead of the deadline for managers needing help in those categories. Duran is an obvious buy but will be hard to get as he has really turned things up as spring turned to summer. Since June 1, he is hitting .341 with nine home runs. He currently ranks 20th in average (.290), seventh in runs (67), fifth in hits (119), and tied for ninth in stolen bases (22).
It appears the Home Run Derby didn't hurt Teoscar Hernández's swing.
He goes the other way and hits a home run to right field — his 20th of the season — and gives the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.
Hernández is now 4-for-11 since the All-Star break.
This man needs to be extended by LA. pic.twitter.com/7hZq6GxveK
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) July 22, 2024
Enduring Injuries
With the All-Star break dominating the calendar last week, there were fewer transactions made as one would expect. Fate seemed to want to make up for lost time over the weekend, as several significant players went down due to injury. Top Athletics prospect Jacob Wilson was promoted and debuted on Friday night but he strained a hamstring within minutes of recording his first career hit and is now already on the injured list. Also on Friday, Bo Bichette strained his calf during the Blue Jays’ game and he was placed on the IL on Saturday was fellow shortstop Carlos Correa (plantar fasciitis).
On Sunday, the Braves were dealt a double whammy as they lost both Max Fried (forearm) and Ozzie Albies (wrist) to the IL. Albies suffered a fractured wrist during Sunday’s game and will need eight weeks to recover. Pitchers Reese Olson and Ryan Pepiot were also placed on the IL on Sunday. Olson has a shoulder strain and Pepiot is dealing with an infection in his right knee. Last but not least, Julio Rodriguez injured his ankle attempting to make a play at the wall on Sunday afternoon. Initial x-rays were negative but he is scheduled for an MRI.
Ozzie Albies exits today's game against the Cardinals in the ninth inning following this play at second base ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/kANpteaAlz
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) July 21, 2024
Fantasy Impact: With the above players all out for various lengths of time, it is necessary to determine who will fill the void left in the lineup or rotation of each respective team. Correa’s absence will mean more opportunities for Brooks Lee. Atlanta plans to promote Nacho Alvarez Jr. to take Albies’s place at the keystone. Alvarez had 16 steals in 48 games at Double-A Mississippi and has been slashing .342/.425/.586 through 27 games at Triple-A Gwinnett. Rodriguez’s injury might keep Victor Robles in Seattle’s lineup. Robles drew three consecutive starts to begin the second half and went 5-for-10 with three stolen bases.
The Braves are promoting Nacho Alvarez with Ozzie Albies going down with a broken hand. In AAA this year:
28 G
.336 / 7 HR / 24 RBI / 5 SB
20 K: 17 BBOne of my personal favorite prospects here and I’m adding in certain spots!
pic.twitter.com/TaFwGmkVWZ— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) July 22, 2024
Ta-ta Ty France
Ty France came to the Mariners via trade during the 2020 season. On Sunday night, it was reported that Seattle is placing their regular first baseman of the last four years on waivers. From 2021 to 2023 France had at least 613 plate appearances and maintained a .272 batting average and 16.4 K%. This year has been different. Through 88 games, France is hitting .223, has a .662 OPS, his strikeout rate has jumped to 24.5%, and he was recently dropped to the bottom of the batting order. Should he clear waivers, France would be released or sent to the minors, though he now has the option to reject an assignment in favor of free agency.
Ty France has been placed on irrevocable outright waivers. If a team claims him, he is theirs. If he clears, he is still with the Mariners and can be outrighted to the minors. Because of service time, he can refuse the outright assignment
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 22, 2024
Fantasy Impact: Hand-in-hand with news that France was being put on waivers were rumors that Tyler Locklear would soon be promoted. Locklear has spent time at the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season and through a combined 72 games he has 12 home runs, 49 runs, and 44 RBI with a .280 batting average and .889 OPS. Luke Raley is also in line for more playing time but has not shown much in the opportunities he’s had thus far.
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