Everything that happens in and around MLB has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy baseball perspective. From lineup changes to minor league call-ups to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy baseball.
Our fantasy baseball buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around MLB.
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June 18: What you need to know for Wednesday
Todd Zola: There is only one day game on the slate with the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox playing the rubber game of their three-game series in T-Mobile Park at 4:10 p.m. ET. Action then continues at 6:40 p.m. ET with a pair of contests, followed by a dozen more evening affairs. Weather is going to be a factor with storms in the Midwest jeopardizing games in Detroit and Cincinnati, along with two contests taking place in Chicago.
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Bryan Reynolds will miss at least tonight’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers after being placed on the paternity list. He was removed from last night’s series opener with the news his wife was in labor. Alexander Canario will likely pick up the start (albeit against Tarik Skubal) as the Pirates try to even the series after falling 7-3 last night in Motown.
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Minnesota Twins C Ryan Jeffers left last night’s game in the fifth inning after he was hit in the hand while catching. X-rays were negative, but Jeffers will likely sit out tonight with Christian Vazquez behind the plate in his stead. Jeffers has struggled in June, recording just a .237/.356/.342 line.
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The Athletics placed Seth Brown on the 10-day IL due to tennis elbow. As he last played on June 11, the visit has been backdated to last Friday. He was hitting only .077/.200/.077 in the five games since regaining his 40-man roster spot. He had posted a .500/.512/1.071 line for Triple-A Las Vegas. Brown’s absence could allow Brent Rooker to play his tenth game in the outfield, thereby gaining OF eligibility. Rooker has been enjoying a solid 2025, albeit a step down from last season, hitting .276/.351/.490 as a DH-only option.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers rotation receives a boost tonight with Emmet Sheehan‘s 2025 debut. He has been recovering from May 2024 Tommy John surgery. The 25-year-old righty made four rehab starts, three with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He compiled 11 1/3 total innings, fanning 21 while issuing just one free pass. He was hit hard in his final outing, yielding two homers leading to four runs over just 3 1/3 innings. He tossed 63 pitches in that effort, so he’ll likely be restricted to around 75 tonight when the Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres at home.
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The San Francisco Giants also get pitching reinforcement with Justin Verlander returning tonight to face the Cleveland Guardians at home. Verlander has been out due to a right pectoral strain. He eschewed a rehab assignment, instead getting ready via bullpen sessions. The plan is for the veteran to throw a maximum of 80 pitches. Prior to his injury, Verlander had registered a 4.33 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP with only 41 punchouts in 52 frames.
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Two weeks ago, OF Jerar Encarnacion returned to action after missing the first two months of the season due to a broken hand. Now, the Giants have placed him on the 10-day IL thanks to a strained left oblique. He had hit only .136/.136/.182 in his eight games. Additionally, manager Bob Melvin indicated that Rafael Devers will initially serve as the team’s DH, but will also take ground balls at first base to prepare for transitioning to the position on an everyday basis.
June 17: Nola, already on IL, suffers another setback
Stephania Bell: Before his recent issues arose, Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies hadn’t missed any starts due to injury since 2017. It was a remarkable run. Now, he’s not only trying to come back from one injury, he has a second that cropped up during his stint on the IL. Nola suffered a right ankle sprain in mid-May and had progressed to throwing bullpens in early June when he began to experience stiffness in his right side. According to Phillies manager Rob Thomson, imaging revealed a stress reaction in his right rib cage. He is now projected to be out for additional weeks, potentially through the All-Star break.
The term “stress reaction” reflects an area of increased activity within the bone, indicative of injury. Not quite a full-blown fracture, the stress reaction is a warning that the bone is under duress and continuing to place stress on it could ultimately result in a break. Nola, while speaking to reporters, referred to his injury as a “stress fracture” which reinforces the continuum of the injury itself and the subtle gradation between the two. Managing the injury is essentially the same either way: rest from the offending activity (in his case, forceful throwing) to minimize stress on the bone caused by the muscular attachments.
As for how the problem came about, there is no definitive answer. Nola said he assumes it came from throwing, which makes sense as throwing is the primary aggravating factor. However, given that he has made a career of throwing, some might wonder why now when he’s actually been throwing less during his ankle recovery.
It’s possible the origin could link back to the ankle. After all, Nola made two starts after suffering the ankle sprain in early May, allowing 13 runs over just those outings. While the spring had not been particularly kind to Nola, an injury to his drive leg could easily have complicated matters. One of the more challenging things to do with an acute ankle sprain is to balance on one leg, especially while rotating, which is clearly a requirement for pitching.
After those unsuccessful two starts, he was placed on the IL to rehab the ankle. Is it possible that he was also over-relying on his trunk (and therefore muscles that attach to the rib cage) during those two outings, predisposing him to a rib injury? Perhaps. It’s also possible that it was sitting just below the surface prior to the ankle injury and/or that it came about as he recently attempted to return to throwing off a mound.
Regardless, his return should be viewed with caution, given the overlap of the two injuries. Thomson noted that Nola would not even resume playing catch for at least two weeks, which would imply late June as the soonest for that exercise. Then comes the process of returning to more intensive throwing and monitoring the effects, as well as downhill throwing and facing live hitters. The positive is that it will allow a little extra time to ensure his ankle is no longer an issue — not only from a discomfort standpoint, but also in terms of truly reinforcing his single-leg stability during his throwing motion.
Maybe Nola hitting the reset button for the second half of the season will be just what the doctor ordered.
June 17: What you need to know for Tuesday
Todd Zola: All 15 games on today’s slate are evening affairs, leading off with a 6:10 p.m. ET contest.
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The Philadelphia Phillies might be without 2B Bryson Stott when they play the second game of their road set with the Miami Marlins. Stott was diagnosed with a hyperextended elbow, but the injury isn’t considered serious. He has been in a rut, batting just .146/.212/.167 in June.
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Lance McCullers Jr. was scratched from Monday night’s start and placed on the 15-day IL with a sprained right foot. Ryan Gusto took the hill in the club’s 3-1 loss to the Athletics. Gusto was initially scheduled to start Tuesday, but instead the Astros could give the ball to Jason Alexander, who was called up to fill McCullers’ roster spot. Alexander has been starting at Triple-A Sugar Land, posting a 1.74 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 15 strikeouts spanning 20⅔ innings. The 32-year-old last pitched at the major league level in 2022.
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Giancarlo Stanton made his 2025 debut Monday night, going 2-for-4 in the New York Yankees‘ loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Stanton served as the DH with Ben Rice playing first base. At least initially, the plan is for Stanton to be the regular DH, with Rice, Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez all losing playing time.
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Michael Toglia was batting .194/.266/.349 when the Colorado Rockies optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque. In 11 games with the Isotopes, he posted a .273/.353/.568 line, earning a return to the show. Toglia is ticketed to be the Rockies’ everyday first baseman. He fanned 29.1% of the time in the minors, but it was well down from the 39.1% mark he recorded with the big club earlier this season.
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The Chicago Cubs hope to have Kyle Tucker back Tuesday night. He had been playing through a sprained finger suffered on June 1, but the star outfielder sat out Sunday and the Cubs were off Monday. Manager Craig Counsell expressed optimism that Tucker would be better after two days of not having to grip and swing a bat. Through June 1, Tucker was batting .284/.394/.524. In the ensuing 12 games, Tucker posted a .231/.262/.385 line.
