There is some risk with the weather in tonight’s games. The greatest risk was the Dodger/Nationals game which had flood warnings, but it has now been postponed until tomorrow. They will play a double header. Also the Marlins/Braves, Rangers/White Sox, and Phillies/Cardinals have varying levels of risk in terms of delays and postponements.

 

What’s Happening:

Starling Marte was placed on the 10-day DL with an oblique injury. It originally looked like Marte might be able to avoid a trip to the DL as he mentioned trying to play through it, but he did not improve in a way that the Pirates felt comfortable keeping him on the roster. In response, the Pirates called up top prospect Austin Meadows to take his spot on the roster. Meadows has lost some of his prospect status as he has dealt with injuries the last few seasons, but he still possess a good hit tool and a very nice power/speed profile that makes him interesting for fantasy. He should be grabbed in all leagues in spite of the fact the roster crunch could send him back down once Marte is healthy. If he catches lightning in the bottle, the Pirates will figure a way to keep him in the lineup as they are currently leading the NL Central.

Sergio Romo will make his first ever MLB start on Saturday versus the Angels. This is a weird one as Romo has always been a relief pitcher and hasn’t been particularly good this year either. The plan is to let him go one or two innings as a way of giving Ryan Yarbrough a chance to go deeper. This actually gives Yarbourgh a better shot at a win if Romo doesn’t get hit around early, but this is an interesting strategy to follow that the Rays are trying to employ.

Jake Lamb has been activated from the DL. Lamb has missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, but is finally ready to return. Being a power only guy, he may have some of his upside sapped from the combination of the humidor in Arizona and if the injury lingers at all. If someone is coming to buy, it may not be a bad time to sell.

According to manager Brian Snitker, Luiz Gohara is an option for the rotation next week. With Mike Soroka hitting the DL, the Braves are considering giving Gohara a chance to start again after being shifted to the bullpen. He has power stuff, but has not looked good since returning from an ankle injury. He is worth the stash in deeper mixed leagues.

 

Quick hits:

Dansby Swanson will be activated off of the DL this weekend. After a hot start, Swanson was scuffling before hitting the DL. Let’s see if he can regain early season form. I have my doubts.

Paul DeJong was placed on the 10-day DL with a fractured hand. There is no current timetable for return.

Clayton Kershaw emerged from a throwing session with no problems. He was throwing on flat ground, but this appears to be a good sign that he could return soon.

The Blue Jays placed Jaime García on the DL with shoulder inflammation. They recalled Deck McGuire to take his place on the roster. Joe Biagini will return to the rotation this weekend as a result.

Justin Upton ’s injured hand does not have a fracture in it according to X-rays taken by the team. Upton was hit on the hand with a pitch in the sixth inning of the game yesterday and it looked much worse than it has turned out to be. Consider him day-to-day at this time.