Everything that happens in and around MLB has some additional context when viewed from a 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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Todd Zola: Tuesday’s slate gets an earlier than expected start with yesterday’s interleague clash between the and having been rained out and rescheduled as Game 1 of a single-admission doubleheader today. Action begins at 3:35 PM ET in the nation’s capital. The remaining 15 tilts are all evening affairs.
Weather remains an issue with the and meeting in Coors Field potentially in jeopardy. Also, lingering rain on the East Coast could affect the hosting the and the entertaining the .
The Padres are hoping to activate OF from the 10-day IL in advance of tonight’s road affair with the Yankees. Merrill was ready yesterday, but with rainy conditions in the Bronx, the club opted to wait 24 hours to bring Merrill back. It will still be wet tonight, so the activation isn’t definite. He’s been out since April 7 due to a right hamstring strain.
OF/DH was placed on the 10-day IL due to right hand inflammation. He’s set to undergo testing which should help determine how long Alvarez will be out. He experienced a similar issue back in 2022, but it’s not known if the injuries are related. Alvarez is off to an uncharacteristically slow start, batting just .210/.306/.340. His average exit velocity is still elite, but his Barrel% and HardHit% are well below career levels. C and OF are likely to garner more action at DH in Alvarez’s absence.
OF is slated for an MRI today after he was lifted from last night’s game thanks to left hamstring tightness. Entering Tuesday’s action, Hernandez is ranked No. 6 on the . The club is already without IF/OF , but still have , and as in-house options to cover right field. After a slow start at Triple-A Oklahoma City, OF is hitting .289/.330/.598 over his last 24 games, but he’s also fanning at a 36.8% clip during that span.
The will be without OF/DH for 6-to-8 weeks after he was placed on the 10-day IL as a result of a Grade 2 oblique strain. Only one of Winker’s eight extra base hits have left the yard this season, but his slugging percentage has been a bit higher than last year. The club recalled to fill the open roster spot. He will share DH duties with OF .
Stephania Bell: Casas was trying to beat out a throw to first base this past Thursday when he went to the ground, grabbing his leg. What initially looked like a fall due to an awkward collision of Casas’ left knee with 1B and a hard landing on the bag turned out to be . Manager Alex Cora said Casas actually felt the injury “before he hit the base.”
Casas had to be placed on a stretcher to leave the field because he had torn his left patellar tendon — the tendon that runs from the patella (kneecap) to the tibia (shin) and serves as an energy transfer mechanism to extend the knee and helps control deceleration via contraction of the quadriceps muscle-tendon unit on the front of the thigh. It’s an injury that requires surgery and an extensive recovery, resulting in — at a minimum — the end of his season.
On Sunday, Casas underwent surgery to repair his torn tendon and there are now two critical parts to his recovery process. The first involves healing of the repair, accompanied by progressive range of motion and quad strengthening. The second is restoration of functional strength and power, accompanied by return to performance. Of those two aspects, the first is often more predictable than the second, which makes a recovery timeline variable.
Typically an athlete requires four-to-six months in order to be cleared for sports activities, but a return to pre-injury performance level can take significantly longer. Patellar tendon injuries are not particularly common in baseball, so the comps are limited. In March 2023, RP tore his right patellar tendon — not while pitching, but while celebrating with his teammates following a victory in the World Baseball Classic. He ended up missing the entire MLB season, returning at the start of 2024.
A decade earlier, SP tore his left patellar tendon in August of 2014 while trying to make a defensive play. He was able to return to action the following April. As pitchers, however, the specific positional demands are quite different than those of a hitter. Most notably, Casas will also need to return to running the bases which comes with the requisite acceleration, deceleration and rounding the corners. That could well mean more time until a return to the field.
Back in 2017, rookie OF ruptured his right patellar tendon when his knee collided with a metal electrical box on a low outfield wall, creating an open wound as well as the tendon injury. He underwent immediate surgery but did not return to action until 11 months later (as a member of the ).
Read more about how to think like an injury expert .
Todd Zola: A 6:40 PM ET tilt in South Beach with the hosting the leads off Monday’s 10-game schedule. The Marlins will be without 2B for a few weeks after he was placed on the 10-day IL due to a sprained right ankle. and should share keystone duties. The Dodgers are sending RHP to the hill in what could end up being more than just a spot start. Casparius has been effective as a reliever, posting a 2.91 ERA and an 0.92 WHIP. He usually works multiple innings and tossed 54 pitches in his last outing so, if he’s efficient, Casparius could give the Dodgers five frames.
The entertain the with Nationals 1B questionable to play against one of his many former teams as he’s missed the last two contests due to a sore groin. For the Guardians, 3B returned to Sunday’s lineup after missing just one game as a result of his sore ankle.
The hope to have SS back in the lineup tonight when they begin an interleague set with the in the Bronx. Volpe hurt his shoulder diving for a ball on Saturday, but X-rays and an MRI show no damage. The club is already missing 2B ., who is out due to a right oblique strain. , who collected his first MLB hit yesterday, is filling in at second base.
3B made his 2025 debut yesterday after a lengthy IL stint for a toe injury. He’s expected to fill the busier side of a third-base platoon, but can also handle second base.
OF left yesterday’s game early after tweaking his hamstring rounding first base. The club deemed the move “precautionary” as they were trailing by five runs at the time. However, it’s unclear if Arozarena will be in the lineup for tonight’s game. He’s batting only .224, but he has clubbed five homers and is a perfect 8-for-8 swiping bases.
