That Happened?

Gleyber Torres went 2-for-4 with two home runs in the loss to the Orioles on Wednesday. Torres had been relatively quiet for the Yankees since returning from the DL on July 25th, hitting .200/.273/.250 in six games, so this outburst is a sign that he is back and healthy. Torres is now hitting .289/.348/.554 with 17 home runs, 49 RBI, and two stolen bases on the season.

According to Jon Heyman, Robinson Canó is working out at first and third base as he awaits the end of his suspension for performance enhancing drugs. While Cano has mostly played second in his career, the Mariners have made it clear that they do not want to move Dee Gordon off of the position once Cano returns. First base seems like the most obvious hole in the Mariners lineup, but having flexibility to play three infield positions would be great for Seattle and for fantasy owners that would love to pick up multi-positional flexibility.

Shawn Kelley was designated for assignment by the Nationals after an outburst during Tuesday’s game. Kelley was brought in after the Nationals built a 25-2 lead and proceeded to give up a two run home run. After giving up the shot, he threw his glove and stared into the dugout. GM Mike Rizzo stated his actions led to him being DFA’d and that it was “disrespectful to the organization.” Kelley likely will end up in another organization.

Johnny Cueto will undergo Tommy John Surgery following renewed pain in his elbow. Cueto was placed back on the DL earlier this week after feeling the pain in his last start over the weekend. This likely means he will not be back or at least fantasy viable until 2020.

Kyle Tucker was optioned back to AAA on Tuesday. The Astros outfielder is still considered one of the top prospects in the game, but struggled in his first go around at the Major League level. While we have seen a number of prospects hit the ground running when they arrive in the big leagues, it is more common to see these types of struggles before players readjust. Tucker may be a guy to try and buy low on in keeper and dynasty leagues if owners are getting impatient.

Sonny Gray gave up seven runs on eight hits in less than three innings pitched on Wednesday versus the Orioles. Gray has been all over the place this season, but the bad outings have been atrocious. Manager Aaron Boone stated that the team will not rule out Gray being taken out of the rotation moving forward, which is not a vote of confidence for fantasy owners. Gray is only own-able in AL Only formats, but he is even starting to push that.

 

What We’ll Be Watching Today

Bumgarner versus Greinke. Bumgarner has not looked the same since injuring his shoulder last season and Greinke has pitched well with worse velocity. Both are needed by their respective teams to keep pace in the division and the Wild Card races.

Justin Turner returns from the DL. Turner has been recovering from a strained groin and is expected to be activated off of the 10-Day DL today. With Turner returning, the Dodgers have a bit of a roster crunch after the additions of Manny Machado and Brian Dozier . It is a good problem to have, but how will they find playing time for Joc Pederson , Max Muncy , and Dozier on a regular basis?

Jhoulys Chacin versus Clayton Kershaw . Chacin has been great this season, especially on the road. Kershaw has been un-Kershaw-like this season, but is coming off of his best start of the year.

D.J. Lemahieu returns from the DL. Lemahieu is expected back Thursday as well. He will likely send prospect Garrett Hampson back to the minor leagues or the Rockies could leave Hampson up since they have recently promoted top prospect Brendan Rodgers to AAA as well.

Red Sox versus the Yankees. Both have been among the best teams in baseball. With the Red Sox losing Chris Sale to the DL, they will throw out Brian Johnson to face C.C. Sabathia, who has been pretty good this year.

 

Baseball. Lots of baseball.